Then You Look At Me
by I Need A Creative Penname
Summary: Epilogue is now up :) Thanks for reading everyone!!
1. Chapters One and Two

Then You Look At Me  
  
Chapter One  
  
Spokane, Washington  
  
June 1st, 2000  
  
Rose DeWitt Bukator, 18, stepped out of her sliver Honda Accord and stared at the building in front of her. She smiled when she thought what would happen the moment she walked inside. Tryouts for "Romeo and Juliet" were today, and Rose was all set to become the star of the famous play. Since she had found out that her drama school was going to be holding auditions for the play they were going to perform at the end of the summer, Rose had been busy learning and perfecting every single line of Juliet's in the play. Most of her friends thought she was crazy for getting so excited over Shakespeare, but Rose didn't care. She was glad school had let out the week before and that she now had the entire summer to focus on acting. Rose had been one of the forty-two students who had graduated from Gonzaga Prep, a very privet (and expensive) high school located in Spokane. She and her mother, Ruth, had lived in Spokane ever since Rose's father had died back in 1994. For those past six years, Rose had been a student not only at privet schools, but also at the Warehouse Theater, a very highly recommended drama school. Sighing happily, Rose grabbed her purse and shut the driver's side door. She felt like she was in heaven as she walked through the big glass doors and into the entryway of school. Practically skipping, Rose found her way into the theater, where about three dozen other people were already seated in the plush deep-purple seats. She sat down in the back of theater and looked at the stage. The curtains were up, but other then that, the stage was bare. Rose watched as a few other people; mostly teens and young adults filtered into the theater and took their sets. A few minutes later, two of the acting coaches walked in and stood on the state. "I would like to have everyone's attention!" Mr. Lawrence, one of the best male acting coaches around, shouted, getting everyone's attention immediately. "Thank you," he said after all the talking had stopped. "Now, I assume all of you are here to try out for Romeo and Juliet. Now, this is how this audition is going to work. Mrs. Lewis and I will give you a script and you will read a section for us. We will start with the least famous parts, working our way up to those people trying out for Juliet and Romeo. Now, would the people trying out for the following please stay. Extra Capulets and Montagues, Arba, the watchmen." Mr. Lawrence went on to read the other parts, calling people for about seven parts in all. "Would all those not trying out for this part, please wait in the cast room below the stage until we are ready for you audition." About half the people got up and left all filing down into the cast room. The cast room was a place where the actors could get dressed, put on their make-up, fix their hair, do whatever before their tern to go on. Set up in one corner of the room was an intercom, where the actors and actresses could hear what was going on out stage so they wouldn't miss their queue. That, of course, was not on right now. Rose sat down at one of the many vanities and looked in the mirror, making sure her hair was all on place. "Hay Rose!" a voice behind her said suddenly. Rose turned and saw a girl from her old drama class coming up and sitting next to her. "Hi Linda," Rose said happily as she looked at the short girl. Linda was the only person she knew here besides Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis. "What are you trying out for?" she asked. Linda smiled, "Only the nurse. Let me guess, you wanna be Juliet?" Rose laughed, "Yep. Why don't you try out for the part too? You're very good at reciting Shakespeare." This time Linda laughed, "Are you kidding? Me, play the most famous girl of all time, from the most famous couple, of the most famous play of all time? Ha, that's funny. Besides, with people like you and Mary Anne Wittmore trying out, I don't have a chance in hell." Rose winced when she heard Mary Anne was trying out. She hadn't seen her here yet, and was hoping she wouldn't be here at all. Mary Anne Whittmore was one of the best actresses in Spokane. She had starred in Hamlet, Chicago, West Side Story, and about ten different little other plays that the Warehouse Theater had put on in the past five years. Mary Anne had this long brownish-blond hair with these fabulous brown eyes. The only thing that most people didn't know about Miss Wittmore though was the fact that she was snob. A mean, non-caring, selfish little snob that people only liked for her acting. In fact, most people didn't see the nasty side of Mary Anne. When she was out on stage she was as sweet and caring as an angel was, but when you really got to know Mary Anne, you learned to stay away from her quick. "Is Mary Anne here?" Rose asked worriedly. Linda nodded gravely, "Sorry babe, I say her walk in at the last minute." Rose sighed, "Great, there goes my change at Juliet." Linda laughed, "Rose! Geez, you're a wonderful actress! You can beat Mary Anne. Just believe you can and you will." Rose looked at Linda and smiled. "Maybe you're right," she said sighing.  
  
Rose and Linda chatted for a little while longer until the people trying out for the nurse were called up. Linda said goodbye and then left, with Rose calling 'good luck' after her. It was not a minute after Linda left when someone sat down next to Rose. "Hello, Rose," a syrupy voice said. Rose mentally groaned, as she looked Mary Anne in the face. "Hi Mary Anne," she said in the nicest voice she could muster right now. "So, who are you trying out for? Lady Capulet?" Mary Anne asked, laughing at what she had thought was a joke. "Ahh, no. I am gunna try out for Juliet," Rose said, getting madder and madder at Mary Anne by the second. Mary Anne sighed, "Oh come on Rose. Why are you even trying out when you know they'll pick me?" Rose gave Mary Anne an evil look. Her patience was getting very thin. "Because I want too, Mary Anne." Mary Anne laughed, "Okay, yeah, whatever. I'm going to go talk to the boys trying out for Romeo now. I'll be sure to wave to you from stage when you're sitting out in the audience on performance night." "Gee, thanks," Rose called. Mary Anne turned and gave Rose and nasty look before she joined a group of boys. Rose shook her head and sighed. She really hated Mary Anne. She closed her eyes and tried to think of other things. Mentally, Rose went over all of her lines that she was saying for the audition. She had decided to do the scene where Juliet finds out Romeo is dead. It was dramatic, there were some wonderful lines, and it was short and sweet basically. Plus, Rose could do this scene really well. Even her friend Sara, who didn't like Shakespeare that much, had tears in her eyes when she watched Rose perform the scene yesterday. Finally, it was time for the Julie girls to try out. Rose, Mary Anne, and two other girls filed onto stage and stood in front of Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis. "Okay," Mrs. Lewis said from her seat in the audience. "I would like the brunette, what's your name?" A tall girl stepped forward, "My name is Summer Jacobs." Mrs. Lewis smiled, "Okay, summer you go first, you.what is your name?" "Windy Carlyle," a petite girl with honey blond hair said. "Okay, Summer, first, Windy, second, Rose, I know you," Mrs. Lewis paused, "ah, go third. And Mary Anne will go last. Now, will everyone but Summer please wait off stage." Rose, Mary Anne, and Windy all walked back stage, watching Summer introduce herself and then start performing. She was okay, but she sounded like she was just reading the words, not actually acting them. Finally, she was finished and Windy went on. Windy was no better then Summer, although she did move around a lot more. Rose nervously bit her lips while she waited for Windy to finish. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and closed her eyes again, focusing on the words she had mesmerized. "Gee, you're not.. nervous, are you Rose?" Mary Anne's teasing voice came through her thoughts and Rose sighed. This is just what she needed. She turned around and looked at Mary Anne. "No," Rose lied, "I am not. I just want everything to be perfect, that's all." Mary Anne laughed, "That's a good one Rose. Perfect? Your acting? Ha, that's funny." Rose cave Mary Anne a nasty look and the turned back around. Before she knew it, Windy was finished and Rose was called out. She took another deep breath and then walked out stage. "Hello Rose," Mrs. Lewis said politely. "Hello," Rose said back. She had Mrs. Lewis for an acting coach a few years ago and she was one of her favorites. "Now, would you like us to give you a scene, or do you have one prepared?" Mr. Lawrence asked, smiling at her. "I have one prepared," Rose answered. "Okay then, go ahead and start when ready," Mrs. Lewis said, flipping to a new page in her notebook. Rose stepped forward and with a stage voice said, "Hello, my name is Rose DeWitt Bukator, I am eighteen years old, and I am going to recite Juliet's, ah, death scene." Mrs. Lewis and Mr. Lawrence both nodded, and Mrs. Lewis wrote something down on her paper. Rose took a deep breath and then started her lines. "What's here? A cup closed in my true loves hand?" After those sentences were spoken, all of Rose's worries went away. She remembered why she loved to act and forgot about everything around her. "Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end," she spoke emotionally, real tears glistening in her eyes. Visions from this scene in the move came back to her and she almost started crying. She finished her speech by holding an imaginary dagger to her chest and pretending to force it into her body. Rose fell to the stage in a dramatic heap and lay still for a moment. She wasn't ready for the clapping that suddenly came from the audience and brought herself up. "Wonderful!" Mr. Lawrence exclaimed. Rose smiled and stood all the way up. "Beautiful job Rose," Mrs. Lewis said, smiling at her. "Thank you," Rose said happily. She knew she couldn't have done better and was happy with her performance. "Thank you," Mr. Lawrence said. "Will you please have Mary Anne come out when you leave?" Rose nodded and smiled one last smile at her audience before walking off stage. "You can go now Mary Anne," she said politely as sat down backstage. Mary Anne shot Rose a dirty look and then tramped out onto stage. Rose watched as Mary Anne started her lines. The way she started acting shocked Rose. She was not doing as well as she usually did. In fact, Mary Anne was doing horrible. Rose stood there, shocked, as she watched Mary Anne. Maybe she did have a chance at this part. After a minute, Mary Anne was finished and walked off stage. Rose watched shock as Mary Anne left the room. She actually did badly on her audition. Rose felt like laughing as she walked back down to the cast room. Mary Anne Whittmore, miss high and mighty, miss lead in all the plays, had actually acted like a slob. Rose sat down dreamily in a free chair downstairs and watched the people talk. A minute later, the last set of people trying out, the guys trying out for Romeo, went up to audition. Rose watched as the three hopeful boys went upstairs. Except for one, none of them were cute. The only one that was cute, and that was from the back, was a blond boy who looked a little taller then herself. That was the only thing she could tell about him. Rose sighed and turned her attention to Mary Anne who was now standing in a corner. She had a look of satisfaction on her face that Rose couldn't believe she was seeing. She mentally laughed. Today was turning out better then she had hoped. Rose suddenly heard her cell phone ring, causing her to draw her attention away from Mary Anne for a moment. She picked it up out of her bag and pressed the 'yes' button. "Hello?" she asked holding the phone to her ear. "Rose?" Rose sighed, she instantly knew who it was, Cal Hockley from school. He had been bugging Rose to go out on a date since the 10th grade and now Rose was sorry she had ever given him her cell phone number. At least at home she could see who was calling on the caller ID. "Yeah, Cal, what do you want?" she asked. "Where are you? It sounds noisy," Cal asked over the phone. "I'm at an audition Cal," Rose answered dryly. She heard Cal sigh. "Rose, why do you waist your time at those when you could be doing more important things? Like going out with me." Rose rolled her eyes. "Because its more fun then going anywhere with you, Cal," she answered before pressing the 'no' button, cutting off Cal. She had just put her phone back away, when Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis came down the stairs. Rose hadn't even noticed that the Romeos had already come back down and were sitting on counter tops, talking to girls. "Okay everyone!" Mr. Lawrence shouted above the noise. People quieted down real fast when they saw who was there. "Thank you," Mr. Lawrence said. "Now, Mrs. Lewis and I have already chosen who we want to be our actors and actresses. To all of you who didn't make it, you did a wonderful job. And please come back and try out for another play because you all have talent. Now, there is going to be an understudy for each main person. Understudies please know all of your characters lines! This is very important. I have had understudies go on before that didn't think they would need to know the lines and they screwed up the whole play. Now, I am going to turn the floor over to Mrs. Lewis who read off names." Rose listened intently as Mrs. Lewis began to read off the names of people who had made the play. With each name, Rose grew more and more anxious. When Linda go the part of the nurse, it made Rose want the part even more. It would be fun to have Linda be her nurse. Suddenly, before Rose knew it, there were only two more parts to be announced, Romeo and Juliet. She listened as some guy named Jack got the part of Romeo, with some guy named Tommy getting the understudy role. Finally, it was time for the part of Juliet to be announced. Rose felt her heart start to race and she took a deep breath. This was it. In a minute she would find out if she would have the role of her dreams. "And the part of Juliet goes too." Mrs. Lewis said drawing out the answer. In the second before the name was announced, Rose saw Mary Anne give her a look and then start to walk up as if she were going to give a speech. ".Rose DeWitt Bukator. Her understudy will be Windy Carlyle." Rose felt tears come her eyes. She had gotten the part! She had beat Mary Anne! Mary Anne wasn't even the understudy! Rose suddenly felt weak and sat down in a nearby chair, in total shock. She had gotten the part! Rose saw Mary Anne run up to Mrs. Lewis and then was aware of Windy coming up to talk to her. But she barely listened. All Rose could think about was the fact that she had actually gotten the part!  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Rose excitedly raced out of the Warehouse Theater and jumped in her car. She let out a little cry of joy as she got out her keys and started the Honda. "I got the part," she sang to herself as she got out her Celine Dion All the Way CD and put it into her car's CD player. She switched the song to 'That's The Way It Is' and started singing along as she pulled out of the parking lot. After all the parts had been announced, people ran around congratulating each other and taking nicely to the people who hadn't made the play. Rose had seen Mary Anne stalk away after a very heated argument with Mrs. Lewis over her not getting the part. She had smiled at that scene. In Rose's opinion, Mary Anne deserved to lose once and a while. Rose assumed that she was now at home complaining to her father about not getting to be Juliet. That's what Mary Anne always did, went and complained to her daddy. Usually, if her dad couldn't fix the problem, he'd end up getting Mary Anne something else that she wanted. That made Rose even more mad. Mary Anne was nothing but a spoiled little brat that everyone hatted. Rose sighed and turned the music up loader, hoping to make herself forget about Mary Anne. As she was on her way home, Rose saw a sign for 'Pete's Pizza', a local pizza place that had pizza to die for. Rose's stomach growled as she thought of eating one of thier large cheese pizza's with a glass of Pepsi to wash it down. She checked her watch. It was 4:30. Turning down her stareo, Rose got out her cell phone. When she had to stop for a red light, Rose dialed her mother's work number. "Hello, Spokane Probation Offices, my name is Cally. How my I help you?" "Hay Cally, its Rose," Rose said over the phone to the secretary at her mother's office. Her mother worked as a probation officer for Spokane, something you didn't see a lot of women doing. It was nice though; her mother got a lot of extra time off and made money. "Hello Rose, how are you?" Cally asked. Rose could practically see her sitting at the little desk, taking on the phone and surfing the web at the same time. "Just great Cally. Hay, can I talk to my mother? Or is she busy?" "Oh no, your mom's here. She just got out of a meeting. Hold on, I'll put ya through," Cally said. "Thanks Cally," Rose said before she heard another ringing. "Hello?" her mother's voice came over the line a minute later. "Hay Mother," Rose said stopping as she turned the street that Pete's was on. "Hello Rose? Did you get the part honey?" "Yes! Oh my gosh Mom, I am so excited!" Rose yelled over the phone. Ruth laughed, "That's great Rose. I know how much you wanted the part." Rose beamed. She was glad her mother was almost as excited as she was. "Thanks," she said. "Umm, I was calling 'coz I am down by Pete's and was wondering if you want me to pick up some dinner?" Rose could practically see her mother smiling. "Oh Rose, would you darling! That would be great. I don't know if I am going to get off work right at five." "Sure, I am right here now," Rose said pulling up next to the pizza place. "What do you want?" "Ahh, get whatever you want Rose. Just no olives, alright?" Rose laughed, "Duh! Gosh Mother, who in this family eats olives." Ruth laughed, "I know, just making sure your mind wasn't to excited with Juliet thoughts that you weren't thinking straight." Rose smiled, "I am just fine, for now at least. I don't know what I'll be like at home." Ruth laughed again. Rose smiled and got out of the car, locking it with her automatic lock button on her key chain. "Okay, well I gotta go Mom." "Alright dear, I'll see you in a little bit," Ruth said. "Bye Mom, love you!" Rose said before pushing the off button and stuffing the phone in her purse. She walked up onto the sidewalk and into Pete's. Only a few people were there at the moment. A man reading the newspaper by the window, an older couple, and a collage couple out on a date. Rose smiled and walked up to the counter. "Can I help you... Rose?" Rose smiled, "Hay Nick! How are you? I havn't seen you since graduation." Nick Whittaker had been a classmate of Rose's at Gonzaga Prep. He had brownish blond hair, dark green eyes, and was a little on the short side. He was also one of Rose's best friend's boyfriend. Her friend, and neighbor, Mollie Finlon (who had a twin sister, Liza, who was Rose's other best friend) and Nick had been going out since thier junior year. Rose thought they made a cute couple with Mollie's brown eyes and blondish hair. "I am just fine Rose. What are you up to?" Rose could barley contain her smile. "I just got the part of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet!" Nick smiled, "That's wonderful Rose!" "Thanks," Rose replied smiling at Nick. "Now, for the pizza. I want one medium Canadian bacon pizza, with half no sauce." "What?" Nick asked raising his eyebrows. Rose rolled her eyes. "I don't like tomatoes Nick. I have never like pizza sauce either. Geez, how long have you known me?" Nick laughed, "Okay, okay. I'll get you your no-sauce, nasty pizza. Is this to go?" Rose nodded and pulled out some money. Nick took the order to the back of the room then came back. "Anything else?" he asked. "No, thanks Nick," Rose answered. "Okay, that comes to $12.76, with tax," Nick said ringing up the cash register. Rose handed Nick a twenty- dollar bill and then waited for Nick to get her change. "Here ya go Rose, $7.24 is your change," Nick said placing the money in her hand. "The pizza will be done in a few minutes." Rose smiled, "Thanks." She went and sat down at one of the little tables and put her change in her purse. Humming along with the song coming out of the small speakers over head Rose looked around. Nothing exciting was going on. She sighed and studied the walls. Rose had always loved the walls at Pete's because they were different from everywhere else. See, a while back someone had painted a mural on one of the walls, signing thier name at the bottom. People didn't realize that the person had been hired to draw the mural and started writing things all over the walls. By now there were hardly any white spaces left, just messages and signatures from millions of different people. Some of the stuff was funny, but most was just stupid. The thing was though; the walls didn't look bad, just creative. It didn't look like a gang had come in a written crazy stuff all over. It was just their, almost as if someone had planned it. Rose had signed one of the walls once, a couple of years ago. From her seat, she found the spot and saw that her name was still thier. Rose smiled and looked for any new stuff she had missed. Thier were a couple of 'Class of 2000's written up close to the ceiling, but not much else. "Hay Rose!" Rose turned her head and saw Nick holding a pizza box. She immeadatly got up and took the pizza from Nick. "Thanks," she said. "Welcome Rose. See ya later!" Nick called as Rose started to leave. Rose turned and waved. "Bye!" she called before leaving the pizza place. Unlocking the car door, she put the pizza in the passenger front seat and then went around to the driver's side. Rose started the car and pulled away from the curb, at the same time taking out Celine Dion and turning the radio on. Mandy Moore's "I Wanna Be With You" and Rose started singing along, turning the radio up and rolling down her window. "...How beautiful it is, just to be like this...I wanna be with you, if only for a night, to be the one who's in your arms, to hold you tight," she sang at the top of her lungs, not caring of anyone saw or heard. Rose drove down North Indian Trial until she reached Bedford. She then turned west on Bedford and then onto Sundance. Turning down the radio, Rose listened to the sounds around her. She loved her neighborhood. It was part of the new development in Spokane and all the houses were only, at the most, eight years old. Sundance was the main road that looped around and all the roads and courts that the houses were on came off that. Rose lived in the newer area of the street called Skagit. All the houses were really big and looked really expensive. Her house over looked the rest of the Sundance area and down on the forest area below her house. That was another reason Rose loved where her house was. It was still in Spokane, but it was far enough out that you didn't always fell like you were in the city. After turning onto Skagit, Rose slowed down and drove to her house. Pushing the garage door opener that she had in her car, Rose pulled into her garage. Her mother's car was not in its spot, so Rose assumed her mother was still not home. She grabbed the pizza and her purse and jumped out of the car. Balancing the pizza box in one hand, she opened the door to the house and pushed the garage door close button that was on the wall. Rushing into the house, she put the pizza and her purse on the counter and pushed the answering machine button. "Hay Rose, its Mollie. Call me when you get home and let me know how the audition went. Oh yeah, Liza says hi. I'll talk to you later! Bye!" Rose smiled when she heard Mollie's voice. "Beeeppp...Ruth, its Jane. Call me later. Bye." Rose laughed out load at her mother's best friend. Jane could be so dry sometimes. Shaking her head, Rose dashed upstairs to changed. She walked into her messy bedroom and looked around for a clean tee shirt. Finally finding one, Rose pulled off her old one and slipped her new one on. She ran downstairs again and set the table, including two glasses of Pepsi along with everything else. Rose had just brought the pizza over to the table when she heard the garage door open. "Hay Mom," she said when Ruth walked through the door. "Hi darling. Ohh good, you got everything ready. Thanks for doing that," Ruth said setting her purse down before kissing her daughter's cheek. Rose smiled, "Welcome." Ruth smiled back, "Well enough of that." She sat down at the table followed by Rose. "Tell me how the audition went," Ruth said as she opened the pizza box. Rose's eyes began to sparkle and she told her mother exactly what had happened at the Warehouse Theater.  
  
Much later, Rose was lying her bed reading People magazine. The lights were dimmed in her room and the radio was playing softly. Rose smiled as a song that she loved came over the radio and she threw her magazine to the floor. After grabbing a pen from her bedside table, she jumped up and started singing in front of the mirror. Rose couldn't carry a tune at all, but she could sing load and hold long notes. As she sang, Rose, only half-aware, looked around the room. Her ocean blue window shade was drawn up, reviling a view that overlooked her pool and wood view side of the neighborhood. Under the window was her desk, which had her computer and printer resting on it. Scattered across the dark blue carpet were countless clothing items. Mostly jean shorts and camp tee shirts. Her comforter was half on the floor and half falling off the queen-size bed. Rose loved her comforter. It was this ocean blue color with flowers printed on it that looked like they had been done by chalk or crayon. The reverse side was this mix of different squares in blues and greens with white lines, some thick and some tiny, running around the boarders of the color squares. She had this collection of pillows that went with it, six in all. One pillow was this really long body pillow that was the same design as the reverse side of the comforter. Across from the bed were her TV and VCR and then on the floor was her stereo with various CD's scattered around. Rose's walk in closet was to the far right of her bed and the door to her bathroom was right across from that. Suddenly, the phone rang, casing Rose to jump. She turned down the radio and grabbed her phone off the floor. "Hello?" "Hello yourself. Ever heard of calling anyone back?" Rose winced. She had totally forgotten about calling Mollie back. "Uhhh, sorry. I forgot I guess. I guess I am too excited," Rose explained. "Excited about what?" Mollie asked. "Wait...did you got the part?" "Yes!" Rose exclaimed throwing herself down on the bed. "Oh my gosh, Mollie, this is like a dream come true. You know how much I wanted this part." Mollie laughed, "Yes, I know. So when do rehearsals start?" "Tomorrow, at 12:30. They go till 4:30, so I am gunna be tied up from now on. They are every weekday and every other Sunday." Mollie sighed, "What about us?" Rose laughed, "Oh come on, it's not that bad. And besides, the play is at the end of July sometime so we will have all of August to hang out." Mollie sighed again, "I guess you are right. I am happy for you Rose, I am sorry if I don't sound like it." "That's okay, don't worry," Rose said sincerely. "Good," Mollie responded before laughing. "Hay, is Liza there?" Rose asked. "Nope, she went out with some guy she met at graduation. I think he was like Tim's cousin or someone. Anyway, she won't be back till late," Mollie said. "Oh okay, tell her hi okay?" "Sure thing," Mollie promised. "But I gotta go now. I just wanted to call and make sure you hadn't like jumped off a cliff or something." Rose laughed, "Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow." "Okay, bye!" Mollie said. "Bye," Rose answered before hanging up. Sighing, she got up and went over to the computer. She signed onto AOL and checked her mail. Nothing exciting, just her ET Newsletter. Rose sighed again and signed off. Suddenly getting an idea she ran to her closet and got her swimsuit. After changing, she ran downstairs and jumped into the small hot tub they had next to the pool. The hot water relaxed her mind and Rose soon found herself consumed with thoughts of Romeo and Juliet. 


	2. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Jack Dawson, eighteen, pulled open the Warehouse Theater door and walked in. He decided to sit up close to the stage, and to his relief, not a lot of people were there yet. Taking a seat in the middle of the first row, Jack pulled a laptop out from this backpack and started typing. He had to finish this collage admittance essay for UCLA by tonight so he could have it in the mail tomorrow. If he didn't get it done, he wouldn't have a chance at going to down to California for collage. Other then UCLA, Jack had applied to The University of Wisconsin and to the University of Seattle. Jack wanted to go to Seattle more then anywhere, but he decided to have backups. One of reasons Jack wanted to go to Seattle most of all was the fact that he wanted to focus on the arts. Another reason was that Jack had grown up about two and a half-hours from Seattle and he knew the area well. He had been born in the town of Ellensburg WA, and had lived there until his parents had died about two years back. After that, Jack had moved in with his aunt and uncle in Spokane. They had just moved from 'in town' too farther out, in a little area off Indian Trail. Jack liked his new neighborhood, a lot. It was a lot better then in town, and, there was a girl down the street that Jack had noticed the last few days. She had this long curly red hair and was a little shorter then himself. He had seen her walking with two girls, twins, the other day when he had been watching his younger cousins: Aaron, who was six, and Felicity, who was eight. The girl hadn't noticed him because he had been inside the house and he had just happened to be looking out the window when she passed by. And even though they hadn't meet, but Jack couldn't get the girl out of his head. He had thought he had seen her at the audition yesterday, but had later decided it was just his imagination. Jack had been picked for the role of Romeo, something he was very excited about. He had been about the only boy at Shadle High School who had actually liked Shakespeare. Not like to the point of obsessing over it, but still liking it enough to understand it and want to be in any play of his. Now Jack's only worry was who was going to be Juliet. He hoped it wasn't some ditzy or snobby girl, like Mary Anne Whitmore. He shuttered when he thought of Mary Anne. He had stared opposite last year when they had done A Christmas Carol. They had gone out on a date, and once was more then enough for Jack. Within five minutes, he knew that Mary Anne was a fake and couldn't be trusted. He also knew Mary Anne still liked him, but Jack had sworn to himself that he would never fall for any of her tricks. "Done!" He whispered triumphantly after clicking the save button. He re-read the essay, making sure nothing was missed spelled or a weird word was anywhere and then closed the lap top up. Jack shoved the computer back into his bag and then looked around. A lot more people were here now, most of whom he didn't recognize. Just then he saw his friend Tommy Ryan, who had gotten the understudy role of Romeo, walk in. Jack waved and Tommy ran over. "Hay," Tommy said sitting down next to Jack. "Hi," Jack responded back. "Did ya see any one we know when you were walking in?" he asked. Tommy shook his head, "No, no one we knew. But I did see this really hot chick walk in. She had this long red hair and was walking like she didn't have a care the world. Dude, she had this black skirt on that went down to her knees and then this white blouse on that made her hair stand out even more. Jack, man, I am telling you, she was hot." Jack laughed, before an idea formed in his mind. The girl Tommy was talking about sounded a lot like the girl he had seen walking. Maybe she had been here yesterday. "Okay everyone! Quiet down!" Jack turned and saw Mr. Lawrence walk up on stage and address everyone there. He began to talk about rehearsals and how everyone needed to be there everytime. Then he told the crowd that the play dates would be July 31st and August 1st, which meant only two months of preparation. They were going to have to work hard and this play would have to be thier life for the next eight weeks or so, Mr. Lawrence told them. "Now, we are going to get to know each other a little and then we are going to do some warm up voice exercises," Mr. Lawrence said. He held up some sticker name tags. "Each of you is going to get one of these. I want you to write the character name you are playing on it. If you are an understudy, wrote the character and then 'understudy' in parentheses. Now, once everyone has one, we are all going to get on the stage and learn who is doing what. Okay, everyone up and move!" The whole crowd got up and filed out on stage. Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis handed out name stickers and pens. After he got his, Jack leaned against the wall and wrote his character. "Romeo," he whispered to himself. In smaller letters, under Romeo, Jack wrote his real name. He peeled off the back and then stuck the sticker to his shirt. Tommy walked over just then and pointed at something. "Look Jack, there's that girl I was talking about," he said. Jack turned his eyes and saw where Tommy was pointing. It was the girl that had been walking! Even from the back, Jack could tell it was her. So his mind hadn't been playing tricks on him the other day. "I am going to go over there and, ah, see who she is playing," Jack whispered, hoping to get enough courage up to actually talk to this girl. "You do that Jack, Gwen would kill me if she found out that I was actually talking to another girl," Tommy said pushing Jack a little. Gwen Logic was Tommy's three-month girlfriend, and frankly, Jack couldn't stand her. She was like a scarier version of Mary Anne. Jack shook his head and pushed thoughts of Mary Anne and Gwen out of his mind. Slowly, he walked over to where the girl was standing. Taking a deep breath, he tapped the girl on the shoulder. Jack watched as she turned and then gasped.  
  
Rose had been standing in the middle of the crowd that had gathered on the stage when he felt someone tap her shoulder. She immediately turned around and gasped at what she saw. It was the boy from yesterday! The one with the blond hair that she had thought was cute! Rose took a deep breath and looked down at his name tag. Romeo! He was playing Romeo! She watched as he looked at her own name tag and then he too gasped. "Hi," the boy said after a moment, smiling at her for the first time. Rose smiled back and tried to control her breathing. The boy had these piercing blue eyes that were making Rose melt. She couldn't figure out what it was, but this boy was doing something to make her feel like this. "I guess you're playing Juliet," the boy stated. Rose just nodded. "I'm Jack, Jack Dawson," the boy, Jack, said holding out his hand. Rose stuck her own had out and slipped it into Jack's. "Ah, Rose DeWitt Bukator," she said, finally finding her voice. Jack chuckled and dropped her hand, "I am gunna have to get you to write that one down." Rose laughed, making Jack smile. "So, I guess we're going to be working together," Jack said after a minute. "Yes, we are. I, well, I didn't think guys like you were interested in Shakespeare," Rose said. Jack raised his eyebrows, "I didn't think so either. But I do. I love plays. But Shakespeare's are my favorite. I also like art. Do you enjoy art?" Rose nodded, "Actually, yes I do. My mother doesn't though, and so I didn't really get to see much until a few years ago. I am still learning." Jack smiled, "Maybe I could teach you some stuff later." Rose nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that." "So, how old are you?" Jack asked. "Eighteen," Rose replied. "What about you?" "I am eighteen too, I just graduated from Shadle." "Oh," Rose said, "I just graduated from Gonzaga Prep. No wonder I havn't seen you before." Jack laughed, "Yeah. ""So, ah, where are you going to collage?" Rose asked, trying to make small talk. "I dunno. Either the University of Washington or UCLA," Jack replied. "What about you?" Rose smiled, "Oh I don't know yet either. I wanted to go over to England and study drama over there, but I didn't get excepted. And even if I had gotten excepted, I don't know that I would have gone. It's such a long ways away. Right now I am trying to decide between UCLA and the University of Washington also." Jack nodded, "I was thinking about going to the University of Wisconsin at first, but then I decided it was kinda far away and I hate to be so far from my aunt and uncle. I am applying to UCLA today, since it is closer then Wisconsin, but even if I do get excepted, I don't know that I'll go." "Aunt and uncle?" Rose asked, confused. "Yeah, I live with my Aunt Maddy and Uncle Robert. My parents died two years ago," Jack said sadly. Rose gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, I am sorry Jack! I didn't mean to be so nosey," she apologized. Jack smiled, "Its okay, you had no way of knowing." Rose smiled back and the said, "You know, my father died a while back too." "I am sorry too," Jack whispered. This was weird. He always felt bad talking about his parents. He was suppose to be in the car that some jerk ran into and killed them that night, but he had needed to study for a test and had stayed home. But now, Jack felt like he could talk to Rose about this stuff. She had had the same type of thing happen to her. Rose shook her head. "Don't say sorry Jack, it wasn't your fault." Jack smiled at her and then looked around. "So, do you know anyone else here?" he asked. Rose looked around, trying to find Linda. "Ah, see that girl over there. The one in the ponytail and blue shirt." Jack nodded as he looked to where Rose was pointing. "That's Linda Jones, she used to be in my drama class. Other then her, I really don't know anyone. How about you?" Jack pointed to a boy standing about ten feet away talking to Mr. Lawrence, "That's Tommy Ryan. He and I went to school together. He's going to be the understudy of Romeo, so I am sure you'll get to know him." Rose smiled, "Yep, most likely." "Okay everyone!" Mr. Lawrence's voice came through all the talking. "I want everybody to sit down in a circle and we're going to do some voice warm-ups." The crowd sat down in a big circle and Rose heard someone mumble how so kindergarten this was. Rose didn't mind though, she was used to things like this. To her surprise, Jack sat down next her. Rose looked over and saw Jack smile. Rose smiled back and then turned away so that Jack couldn't see her blush.  
  
*********************  
  
For the next few days, the cast members of Romeo and Juliet all were taught about Shakespeare and his life. Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis explained more about Romeo and Juliet and on Thursday they started watching the movie. Actual lines and play practices, where they would start getting into character and working on lines, would start next week. Until then, it was just a bunch of information that would help everyone with the dialogue and to know about his or her character. For Rose, it was all review. She had been taking a summer Shakespeare class from the time she was thirteen up until last year. Now, much to her disappointment, she was too old to join.  
  
On Friday, Mr. Lawrence announced that they would finish watching Romeo and Juliet and then talk about the film. Rose sat in the back of the theater and looked up at the big screen they had set up on stage. It was a projector screen that had been used over the years for things like this. The movies were played from a projector that sat up on top of the balcony whenever it needed to be used. She took out her notebook real quick and started writing. Rose, if she couldn't become an actress, wanted to be a writer. So far she had written a few short stories and was now working on her next one. Rose still wasn't sure what the story was going to be called, but so far it was about this girl named Faye who was growing up during World War Two. Suddenly, Rose noticed someone sit down next to her. She turned her head and to her surprise saw Jack sitting down. She had expected him to sit next to Tommy like yesterday. Rose's heart started to beat wildly. For the past five days, she and Jack had been talking and hanging out, just getting to know each other. They were going to be spending two months together anyway. She liked him a lot already. But she didn't know if Jack liked her. Rose hasn't expected Jack to sit next to her to watch a movie. And the lights were going to off too! "Hi," Jack whispered waving a little. Rose smiled and then shoved her notebook into her bag. 'Oh my God,' she though excitedly as she brought her head back up and looked at the screen, the lights dimming as she did. She couldn't believe that Jack had sat next to her. The thought of being next to him in the dark sent her mind spiraling. Jack Dawson was the perfect guy in Rose's mind. He was likable, always made her laugh, liked the most of the same things she did, was smart, knew about drama and different artists, and Rose had even found out that he too couldn't stand Mary Anne Whittmore. This was a big plus as far as Rose was concerned. She couldn't imagine being friends with anyone who liked Mary Anne.  
  
Jack took a deep breath as the lights dimmed. Rose had looked shocked when she had noticed him sit down, like she couldn't believe that he would want to sit next to her. He had thought that maybe Rose had liked him, at least a little bit, and sitting next to her might make her realize that Jack liked her. At least he hoped. Jack really liked Rose, she was the most outstanding woman he had ever met. She was funny, smart, loved the arts, knew a lot about Shakespeare, and was beautiful too. She even shared the deep hatred that Jack had for Mary Anne. He desperately wanted to ask Rose out, but didn't know what she'd say. Jack was scared of being rejected. Just then, the moved started back up, right where had left off yesterday. A hush feel over the drama students and then all was quiet. Oliva Hussy, who played Juliet, came onto screen. She was fighting with her father about weather or not he was going to make her marry the Count Paris. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Rose start to say the words silently to herself. He leaned over next to her and whispered, "I wish I knew the words as well as you." Jack could tell, even in the dark, that she was blushing. "I have been practicing the lines for months," she whispered back. Jack smiled and took Rose's hand, much to her surprise. "You don't mind to you?" he asked.  
  
Rose shook her head and then went back to looking at the movie screen. Her heart was beating around a million miles an hour. She couldn't believe that Jack wanted to hold her hand. Rose suddenly laughed to herself, she was acting like a twelve year old girl. But still, she couldn't get it through her head that Jack liked her. Rose smiled to herself and then went back to paying attention to the movie. At least halfway. Half of her attention was on Jack, who never did move from leaning in close to her.  
  
***********  
  
After class that day, Jack followed Rose out to her car. Rose pretended not to be nervous about what he was following around for, but she knew Jack could tell that she had her mind on something. As Rose started to unlock the door, she heard Jack ask, "Rose?" She turned around immediately and looked at him. "Yeah," she asked, trying to sound clam. "Well, see, well, the thing is..." Jack swallowed and looked Rose straight in the eye, "Rose, will you go out with me tomorrow. That is, if you're not busy or anything." Rose's insides jumped. Jack was asking her out! She couldn't believe this either. This was better then the hand holding. "No," Rose blurted, then she realized what it must have sounded like, "I mean, no, I am not doing anything and yes I will go out with you." Jack smiled, "Really?" Rose laughed, "Really Jack. I like you, a lot." Jack laughed too, "I like you, a lot, too Rose. So do you wanna go to a movie or something?" Rose nodded, "A movie sounds good." Jack smiled, "So, I'll pick you up around seven?" "Seven is good," Rose said excitedly. "Ah, you know where-" "Skagit is, off of Bedford, off of Sundance, which is off of Indian Trail?" Jack asked interrupting her. He watched as shock formed on her face. "How did you know that?" she asked quietly. "I live right down the street Rose," Jack said and then laughed. "What?" Rose asked before laughing. Jack nodded, "Yep, I live two houses away from yours. It's the big blue one, with the white trimming. I saw you walking a little white back with these two girls, twins. I saw you go home yesterday too. You didn't see me though." Rose smiled, "Those twins were Mollie and Liza Finlon. They live right next to me, on the right." "Ohh, I live to the left of you," Jack laughed. Rose laughed too, "Well, at least you don't need directions." Jack nodded and the laughed again. Rose was desperate, she didn't want Jack to leave. Then she got an idea. "Say, Jack, do you need a ride home?" she didn't know if he had a car or even brought it if he did. "Well, Tommy was going to give me a ride home, since he lives on Pima and we often trade driving to this thing, but I am sure he wouldn't mind if I caught another ride home." Rose smiled, "Well go tell him you're gunna go with me." Jack nodded and then ran back inside, where Tommy still was. Rose got into her car, buckled up, and unlocked the doors. She waited until Jack came back outside before starting the ignition. He got into the passenger's side and buckled up. "Whenever you reach for me, I'll do whatever I cannnnn!" Celine Dion's voice came loudly over the stereo. Rose gasped, she had forgotten Celine was in. Jack probably hated Celine Dion! She blushed and went to turn the CD off. "No, no, no, I like Celine Dion," Jack said before she could get to the stereo. "You like Celine Dion?" Rose repeated as she started to back up out of the parking lot. Jack nodded, "Yeah, she's awesome." Rose turned onto to road before saying, "I didn't think that guys, well around our age, liked her." Jack shrugged, "I do, but I am different I guess. I like other stuff too, like Emimem and Sisqo, but that is about as rappy as I can stand. Blink 180 and Matchbox Twenty are pretty cool too. I also like Mariah Carey and stuff." Rose laughed, "You sound like you like the same type of stuff I do. I can't stand that really rappy stuff. Mollie's old boyfriend loved it and played it all the time. It drove me crazy; I got so sick of it." Jack smiled, "I don't like it either." Rose smiled back and then stopped for a red light. "...I could love someone, I could trust someone. I said, I'd never let nobody near my heart again, darling, I said I'd never let nobody in. But if you ask me too, I just might change my mind...." Rose blushed when she heard the lyrics of the song. Here she was, in a car with Jack, alone, listing to song about finding someone they liked. Jack could tell she was edge so he started singing along with the CD. Rose laughed and started to drive again as soon as the light turned green. Before long, both she and Jack were singing along with the CD. When the song was over, Rose smiled, she hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Jack turned it to number five and started pretending he was playing a piano. "There were nights when the wind was so cold..." he sang imitating Celine's voice. Rose laughed and started singing along with him again. By the time that song was over, Rose felt like she had know Jack for five years instead of five days. It was weird, and amazing, how much a drive home could change to people. "You know one of my favorite songs on this CD is this one," Jack said flipping the songs to something. Rose recognized the song immediately. It was called My Heart Will Go On. "Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you..." Rose immediately started singing softly. She always felt a wired feeling in heart whenever she heard this song. Jack started singing too, and before long, they had divided up the parts, singing a duet. "Man, I love that song. There is just something about it that makes me feel weird, you know. Like it was meant for me or something," Jack whispered a few seconds after it was over. Rose nodded, "Yeah, it's beautiful." Jack flipped the songs again, this time to Then You Look At Me and begun singing along with that too. Rose felt her cheeks turn warm at the sound of this song too. It seamed as if Jack was picking all the songs that were songs about people finding love. She sighed happily and listened as Jack continued to sing along with her favorite singer.  
  
***********  
  
"Goodbye Rose. Thanks for the ride," Jack said hanging his head through the open door. Rose had just pulled up in Jack's driveway and he had just gotten out. "Bye Jack," Rose said smiling at him. "See you tomorrow." Jack smiled back at her. "Bye Rose," he said before closing then door and then running up the front steps and into the house. Rose smiled and then slowly pulled away. Jack's house was a few houses away from hers and was almost identical to hers. It was a little smaller, different color and there was a little bit more yard, but that was it. The rest was the same. As she pulled into her own driveway, Rose thought about her date tomorrow. Thinking about being Jack was sending giving her an excited feeling she had never felt before. Somehow she know that Jack was someone special. 


	3. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
The load ringing of the doorbell made Rose jump nervously from her position on the couch. She wondered if it was Jack, he was supposed to be here any minute. Giving herself the once over and deciding that she looked all right, Rose ran to the door and opened it. Jack stood there, smiling brightly at her.  
  
"Hay," he said excitedly.  
  
Rose laughed, "Hi."  
  
They just looked at each other for a few moments before Jack broke the silence. "You look nice," he said looking at her. Rose had on a simple black skirt and baby doll white tee shirt. Her hair was out and lose and she had sunglasses on top of her head. On her feet were some tall, yet comfortable looking, black shoes and hanging from one of her shoulders was a small black leather purse from Nine West.  
  
Rose blushed and smiled shyly at Jack. "Thank you," she said.  
  
Jack smiled and then asked, "Ready?"  
  
Rose nodded and started out the door with Jack. "Mother is at a meeting downtown so she isn't around to make you go through the third degree," she said as they walked down the driveway.  
  
Jack laughed, "Too bad, I was looking forward to meeting your mom. I've seen her walking a few times. She looks nice."  
  
Rose smiled, "Oh, she's all right. As long as you get on her good side."  
  
Jack smiled at her. "Then I will just have to get on her good side huh?" he asked.  
  
Rose laughed, nodded, and then looked toward the driveway. "Awesome car!" she exclaimed running toward it. Jack drove a white 2000 Ford Explorer.  
  
"Thanks," Jack said opining Rose's door and helping her in. He walked around to his side and climbed in. "Aunt Maddy and Uncle Robert got it for me for graduation," he explained as he started the car.  
  
Rose laughed, "That is so cool. I had to half-buy mine. Mom paid for the rest, but still. She said she wanted me to 'learn what it is like to pay for my own things.' Like I don't already. She just thinks she pays for it all." Jack laughed as he left the neighborhood. "Your mom sounds cool," he said.  
  
Rose rolled her eyes, "Like I said, just get on her good side."  
  
There were a few moments of silence before Jack said, "Ah...the movie starts at eight, so we have a little bit of time. Do you mind if I stop by the store real quick?"  
  
Rose shook her head. "That's fine Jack. I want to get something anyway."  
  
"Okay then, its off to the store," Jack said playfully.  
  
Rose laughed and rolled her window down. Jack switched on the radio and watched as Rose started tapping her fingers against the window sill, according to the beat of the song. He beamed inside. Maybe he had finally found someone who shared the same interests as him. Maybe he and Rose would have more then a 'first date' relationship. Jack smiled to himself. Maybe he and Rose would have something special.  
  
***********************************  
  
Rose sat on a park bench in Riverfront Park. She sighed happily as she looked out at the water. The Spokane River was clam and spellbinding in the dusk. Jack had gone to go get two ice cream cones from a riverside booth a few yards away.  
  
The evening had been wonderful so far. After stopping at the store to pick up some more art supplies for Jack, which he clamed he needed, and some gum for Rose, they had went to the movie theater. Jack had insisted on paying for everything at the movies, even the Dippin' Dots he said Rose have to have. Rose had agreed, as she had never tired the Dippin' Dots, and found that she enjoyed them. They were these little frozen balls of ice cream that you ate with a spoon. Between Rose and Jack, they had about three packets. All through the movie, Rose had held Jack's hand and had rested her head on his shoulder. The whole experience had been so electrifying that Rose had barley been able to concentrate on the movie. And then after the film was over, Jack had suggested they take a walk along the river. They had walked for a while, then sat down.  
  
"Here," Jack said suddenly.  
  
Rose turned her head and took the ice cream from Jack. "Thanks," she said.  
  
Jack sat down next to her and started eating his own chocolate ice cream. There was a moment of silence before Jack asked, "So, who do you hang out with besides the twins. I mean, I am sure you have other friends."  
  
Rose took a bite of ice cream, swallowed, and the answered Jack. "I only have a few other close friends. Sara is one. She is in Vancouver right now, visiting her Aunt Mary. I am pretty close to my cousin Katie, but she lives in Lake Chilan, so I don't see her much."  
  
Jack looked at Rose. "That's too bad," he said.  
  
Rose nodded, "Katie and I are practically sisters, even though she is two years younger then I am. She's really nice, you would love her."  
  
There was another silence before Rose started talking again. "What about you? Who are you friends with besides Tommy?"  
  
Jack took another bite of his cone and then shrugged. "My closest friends besides Tommy would probably be John and Frabizio. They are both gone now; Frabi is in Seattle visiting his mom and John is in England." "In England?" Rose asked, excitedly. She had always wanted to visit England, and the rest of Europe for that matter.  
  
"Yeah," Jack said, nodding his head. "He lived in England until he was about 15, then he and his family moved over here. They go back every summer for a few months to see his relatives, they all live over there." "Wow! That's awesome," Rose said, smiling brightly.  
  
Jack nodded and then, for no reason, started staring at Rose.  
  
Rose began to notice this and asked, "What? What is it? Did I do something?"  
  
Jack took a deep breath and then sat up a little more. "Can I kiss you?" he asked hurriedly.  
  
Rose's mouth drooped open and she gasped for breath. Jack wanted to kiss her! This was a dream come true! 'Oh my God!' she thought excitedly. "Uhhh huh," she mumbled, nodding her head as if she was in a dream world.  
  
Jack gently put her arm around Rose and then lowered his mouth to hers. Rose closed her eyes and gently joined her mouth with Jack's. Before she knew it, they were kissing passionately. Rose moaned softly as their mouths parted for a moment and she moved her arms to Jack's neck.  
  
"Kiss me again," she whispered softly. Jack smiled and then closed his eyes again. They continued to kiss for some time, forgetting about everything, including their ice-cream, which they involuntarily dropped onto the ground.  
  
************  
  
Ruth was sitting in her living room, watching a late night movie that was on Lifetime. She vaguely wondered where Rose was, it was after midnight. A movie couldn't go that long. But she trusted Rose and decided not to constantly worry about her.  
  
Ruth smiled as she watched the movie. Rose had seamed so excited about going out with Jack the whole day. She had even gotten up before seven, something she didn't do unless it was necessary.  
  
Suddenly, Ruth noticed headlights pull up outside. She heard two doors slam and then it was quiet. Ruth couldn't resist taking a quick look outside, so she got up off the couch and peeked out the window-just enough to see the front steps. Her daughter's arms were around Jack's waist and his arms were wrapped around her. They were kissing passionatly.  
  
Ruth quickly moved away from the window and moved back to the couch. She covered herself with a blanket and made it look like she was sitting there all along.  
  
Finally, about five minutes later, Ruth heard the front door open. She glanced over and saw Rose walk in. Her daughter carelessly dropped her purse on the floor and her body seamed to go limp as she started to walk toward the stairs. Rose had a soft, loving smile on her face and her eyes were shinning.  
  
"Hello Rose," Ruth called softly.  
  
"Hmmm," came Rose's soft reply as she started up the stairs.  
  
Ruth stifled a laugh. "Have a good time?" she asked.  
  
"Uhh huh," came another distant reply as Rose reached the top of the stairs.  
  
Ruth laughed out load this time. "Goodnight Rose!" she called.  
  
"Yeah," came another reply.  
  
Ruth smiled and shook her head. "Rose, Rose, Rose," she whispered. She had never seen her daughter act this way over a boy. Ruth sighed and went back to her movie, happy for Rose. 


	4. Chapter Five

Chapter 5  
  
Rose's Diary  
  
June, 2000  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Jack Dawson took me out on a date tonight. Oh my, it was the most magical date in the history of the world. We went to a movie, first of all, and even I, the Movie Freak, could not concentrate. I just kept thinking about Jack sitting right next to me. In the dark! I get chills just thinking about it. About halfway through the film Jack put his arm around me and I leaned against him. We sat like this for the majority of the time, just holding hands and cuddling. Then, after the movie, Jack asked if I would like to do something else. I said yes; I wasn't ready to go home! Jack suggested we go down by the river. And thaws just what we did. Jack bought us ice cream cones. And we talked for a little bit. But then something happened diary. And I don't know if I can put it into words. Jack and I kissed. But not just kissed.... we KISSED! It was so sweet. Jack asked if he could kiss me. And after I said yes, he did. We kissed for a half-hour in that little park down by the river. The backdrop of downtown Spokane was behind us and somehow it made the whole thing more exciting. Once, in 8th grade, Liza and I were down there during Hoopfest and we saw a couple making out on the bank of the water. Liza has since then called the area "Makeout Beach." And now I can see that she is right. After a while, Jack remarked that he'd better get me home or else my Mother would get worried. I agreed and we started home. As he was dropping me off, Jack got out of the car and we kissed again on the front step, this time for ten minutes. I knew I should be getting inside, but I couldn't tear myself away. Jack is so wonderful and unimaginable. I can't believe I met him. He's nice, funny, sweet, handsome, smart, oh I can't even name everything. Jack said he would call again tomorrow. Oh, I hope he does!  
  
Dear Diary-  
  
Jack called just a minute ago! He woke me up in fact, hehe. It's only 8 o'clock in the morning. Anyway, he said that he was going to church, since it is Sunday, but wanted to know if I wanted to take a drive with him afterward. I'll pick you up around twelve, he said. I of course, agreed. Imagine, two dates with Jack in the same weekend! Oh God, what am I going to wear?! I need to shower as well. Maybe Moll is home and she came come over and help me decide what to do.  
  
Later  
  
I just got back from being with Jack. We picked me up around twelve, just had he had said. Before that Mollie did come over and helped me decided what to wear and things like that. She said that since we were going for a drive that I shouldn't really dress up. I agreed. So I ended up wearing dark green cargo shorts and a white tank top. When Jack showed up he said I looked nice. I was happy diary. We went for a 'drive' and ended up in Moses Lake, where we ate a late lunch (since both of us had eaten late breakfasts we weren't hungry until then.) It was so much fun getting out of town like that. Even for a few hours only. After lunch, Jack and I went down by the water and Jack pulled out his sketchbook. He showed me some of his drawings and I must say, they are wonderful. He can draw like any professional artist can; I was really impressed. As we were heading back to the car, Jack and I noticed the boats out on the water. Jack mentioned that it might be fun to go boating sometime and I was all for it. I havn't been boating much before, since my Mother doesn't care for it. Speaking of Mother, she met Jack for the first time today. I think she likes him; they seamed to get along fine. But we will see. Anyway, we then started back from Moses Lake in Jack's Ford Explorer (which I love.) The whole hour and half drive was so much fun! Jack and I played all this wonderful music the whole way, blasting it and singing along until we reached Spokane. Then we stopped singing and turned down the music, hehe. The best was when we played Alanis Morissette's "Ironic." We were in the middle of no where and no one was around. Jack and I sang the song at the top of our lungs and then broke down laughing afterward. It was so much fun! I am still giddy thinking about it. Rehearsals tomorrow, which means I get to see Jack!  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
It is now Friday. The week is over and done with and I can look forward to the weekend. We had rehearsals all week, but they went well. The play looks like it is going to be wonderful. All of the cast members, assistant directors, and directors seam to be excited about the whole ordeal. Everyone shows up at the theater in a good mood and ready to perform. Jack called me just a few minutes ago. It has been so fun working with him. Gosh, I think he makes a good Romeo. No, a perfect Romeo. Anyway, Jack asked if I wanted to do the boating thing we talked about doing. Are you kidding? I asked him. I have been locking forward to doing this all week. Apparently Jack's Uncle has a boat that he is going to let Jack use so that he doesn't have to rent one. Jack was talking about going up on the Columbia River- but that is almost two hours away. We may just go to Moses Lake again or Sprague Lake, which is near there too. Jack promised to teach me how to fish. Hehe. I've hardly ever been fishing in my life. Except for the time when I was five and six and I went with my father. This is going to be so much fun! I am meeting Molly, Liza, and Sara (who is back in town now) at the movies in about an hour. They all want to hear about Jack.  
  
Dear Diary of a Very Happy Rose DeWitt Bukator-  
  
I just got back from my day with Jack. We got in kinda late (9:00) and Mom was a bit worried, but she was glad I had a good time. Jack picked me up at 7:00 AM, which seamed really early when he told me over the phone yesterday. But considering I woke up at five, it was okay. We ended up going to Sprague Lake, since it is closer to Spokane then any other lake we had considered. It's not the nicest place; very rugged where we were. But it was fun. Jack got a day pass and we spent the whole day out on the water. Jack brought along a radio and we listened to that. I also had brought lunches for us both, so we ate that around noon. Around that time it began to get really hot, so I took of my shirt and laid around in my bathing suit top. Jack too had his bathing suit on in place of regular shorts. So he took of his shirt as well and we had a great time lying around getting a better suntan. Around six Jack said we should start back. So we headed for shore and got everything set up and ready to leave. Well, as we were heading back we both decided that we were hungry. So we pulled into a local dinner in the town of Sprague and ate there. Jack and I both had clubhouse sandwiches and lemonades. And then after dinner we got a big thing of red and black licorice to eat on the drive home. The whole way back, as we were eating our candy, jack and I talked about everything and anything we could think about. About what we wanted to be after collage, about our families, school, everything. I had such a great time; I never wanted to go home. Jack is coming over tomorrow and we are going to swim in our pool. I can't wait to show off the rest of my bathing suit to him!  
  
My Dearest Diary-  
  
I have not written in some time- almost two weeks! Sorry about that. I have been so busy with summer jobs, rehearsals, Jack. It's just been crazy. Jack and I have been spending more and more time together. We have gotten to that we carpool to rehearsal together, along with Jack's friend Tommy. Jack will come over after practice, or I will go over to his house. I really like his cousins, Aaron and Felicity. They seam to be really good kids. And they adore Jack. His Aunt Maddy and Uncle Robert are really friendly as well. They are also nice to me and I think they have gotten used to me around. Mother has gotten used to Jack being around too, I think. She doesn't mind anymore when she comes home from work and finds out that Jack is eating over at our house. And she's gotten used to me eating over at Jack's. One thing though, Mollie and Liza have been kinda...I dunno...avoiding me I guess would be the right word. They just havn't called or been over in a while. I wonder if it's because of Jack. They, along with Sara, met him a few weeks ago. And they all seemed to like him. I dunno what's going on. Maybe I'll call one of them tonight and see what is going on.  
  
Dear Diary-  
  
Jack and I went out again last night. Nothing fancy, we just went to a movie and then for a soda downtown. But then we took a drive and ended up in a deserted area close to our neighborhood. Then we spent a lot of time in the back of Jack's car. We didn't do anything, just kissed. I dunno if either of us are ready for a relationship involving sex just yet. You know diary, that I am sill a virgin. I am not sure about Jack, but from what he has told me I told think he has gone all the way yet. It sounds like he hasn't had a real serious relationship before. Maybe I shall ask him weather he is or not. But would that scare him off? I never thought I would have sex before I was married, I am not sure I ever wanted to. But now I have been thinking more and more often about it. Not just about with Jack, but about sex in general. That must sound really bad. I am not a sex-crazed person or anything. Maybe I should talk about this with Jack. I wonder if he feels the same way I do.  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I spoke with Jack. He is a virgin and he says that he feel like I do (yeah!). He is curious about it, but he doesn't think he is ready right now. I agree. I mean, we have known each other for less then a month. As close as I feel to Jack, I just don't think we are ready. I feel closer to Jack now. More then ever. I think it's a good thing we talked this over. I have rehearsal early tomorrow, so I am going to get to bed. Goodnight diary! 


	5. Chapter Six

Chapter 6  
  
Late June, 2000  
  
The weeks in June passed by quickly, and during this time Rose and Jack's relationship grew. They went out almost every weekend, drove to and from rehearsal together, and wherever one would go, the other would follow. They were like two best friends who couldn't stand to be away from each other.  
  
One Friday afternoon, Rose was sitting down on the stage going over her lines. Assistant directors and cast members hurried around her, attending to different things. Today they were going to go over the balcony scene, something Rose was looking forward to. This was her favorite scene in the whole play. They had worked on it a bit over the weeks, but Terry and Kathy said that something was missing. So Rose and Jack had been assigned to mesmerize the lines for this scene and then they would do it without the scripts. Just to see if that was the problem.  
  
"Watch out Rose!" a boy caring a latter called.  
  
Rose jumped up and tucked her script under her arm. "What's that for?" Rose asked curiously as the boy set the latter in the middle of the stage.  
  
"Terry wants you to use this for a balcony today. The set isn't ready," the boy explained as he made sure the ladder was sturdy.  
  
Then he called offstage, "Ann! Heather! I need those trees!" Two girls ran out-stage carrying fake trees.  
  
"Here Tim," one said and handed Tim the tree. The other did the same thing and then they ran off.  
  
"Go check those costumes we just got in!" Tim yelled as he watched them go offstage.  
  
Rose smiled as she watched Tim set up the trees around the latter. "There you go Juliet," he said patting her on the shoulder.  
  
"Thanks," Rose said, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, Rose felt someone grab her hand. She gasped and turned around, coming face to face with Jack. "Jack, what the-"  
  
"Shhh, come here," Jack said pulling her offstage into the shadows.  
  
"Jack what are we doing?" Rose asked in a whisper.  
  
Jack smiled at Rose and bent down to kiss her real fast. "I've got to tell you something," he said wrapping his arms around her waist.  
  
Rose smiled up at Jack and wrapped her own arms around him. "What?" she asked gently. Jack took a deep breath and then closed his eyes for a moment.  
  
Rose's smiled dropped. "What, what is it Jack? What happened?"  
  
Jack opened his eyes again and look at Rose. "Maybe this isn't the time, or place, Rose. But I have to tell you this before I go crazy."  
  
Rose nodded, urging him to go on.  
  
"Rose..."  
  
"Yeah," Rose whispered.  
  
"I love you Rose. I wanted you to know that. These past few weeks have been some of the best of my life."  
  
Rose broke out into a smile and pulled Jack closer. "I love too Jack Dawson," she whispered into his chest. Then she brought her head up and looked into his eyes. "I love you," she whispered louder.  
  
Jack smiled and then urgently bent down to kiss Rose again. Rose moaned softly and held Jack close to her heart. As the kiss gently broke, Jack ran his fingers through Rose's hair and kissed her forehead.  
  
"How long till rehearsal is over?" Rose jokingly asked. Jack chuckled and then pulled Rose close once again.  
  
"Hay guys!" an assistant director named Jenny called to Rose and Jack. They didn't appear to hear her so she sighed and walked over.  
  
"Yo Romeo and Juliet!" she yelled right by their ears. Rose and Jack broke apart and blushed when they saw Jenny standing there.  
  
"What?" Jack asked sheepishly.  
  
Jenny laughed. "You guys are needed on stage," she said.  
  
"Oh!" Rose gasped. "I forgot! Come on Jack!" She grabbed her boyfriends hand and started out-stage.  
  
"Well, nice of you two to join us," Terry called from the audience when she saw Rose and Jack walk out. Rose's face turned as red as her hair and Jack looked down at the floor.  
  
Terry laughed and shook his eyes. "Okay guys, do you have your lines mesmerized?"  
  
Rose nodded and Jack said, "Pretty much, I may need some prodding here and there."  
  
Terry nodded as he looked over some notes. "That's alright Jack. Now I want Rose up on the latter. Pretend its a balcony for now Rose," he directed. Then Terry pointed to the back of the theater. "Pretend back there is the moon Rose. Focus there for right now. Now Jack, you are going to come in from stage left and hide behind the trees, watching Rose. Got it?"  
  
Rose and Jack both nodded and then took their designated places.  
  
"Can we kiss?" Jack yelled from off stage. Rose bit her lip as she blushed and looked down at Terry and the assistant director who was sitting there.  
  
"Not this run through. Maybe next time, we'll see how this goes first!" Terry called before yelling, "Go!"  
  
Jack entered from stage right and hit behind the trees. Rose climbed to the top of the balcony and pretending to be staring off at the moon, deep in thought of Romeo. Jack launched into his line and before long, they had finished the whole scene.  
  
"Okay, that was good," Terry mused. "It's missing something though." He turned to an assistant director and they talked for a moment. "Why don't you try it with kissing," he suggested after a moment.  
  
Rose and Jack smiled and then nodded. "Remember you guys, your relatives are going to be here," Terry cautioned. Rose scrunched up her nose and Jack stuck his tongue out. "None of that," Terry said. "Now come on."  
  
Rose and Jack launched into their scene again, this time kissing whenever it was appropriate After the last line had been said and the last touch had happened, Rose and Jack stopped and looked at Terry and the assistant director. Terry wasn't saying anything. His eyes were open wide and his mouth hung open. There were even tears in his eyes. The assistant director, too, looked shocked. A moment later Terry shook his head and then called out, "Hay Kath!"  
  
Kathy's head came out from a side curtain. "Yeah?" she asked.  
  
Terry waved her over and called out, "Come here, watch this."  
  
Kathy ran out and down the stairs. "Terry, I am kinda busy," she mumbled sitting down next to him.  
  
"Just watch this real quick," he answered. Then Terry turned to Jack and Rose. "Alright guys," he called, "I want you do to that you just did for Kathy."  
  
Rose and Jack launched into their scene again, adding the kissing in. When they had finished yet again, Rose smiled at Jack and Jack winked back at her. They knew they had something. The couple turned back to their directors and waited.  
  
There was a dead silence in the theater until Kathy stood up and started clapping. Terry immediately joined her as did the assistant director. Then from right stage came a loud cheering and the sound of clapping. Rose and Jack turned and saw about twenty of the cast members standing around, watching them.  
  
"You guys!" Kathy yelled excitedly. She ran up on stage, pushing people out of the way. "That was wonderful!" she exclaimed, giving Rose a hug and then smiling at Jack.  
  
"Shakespeare himself would have been proud," Terry added as he joined Kathy onstage.  
  
"Can you do that on performance night?" Kathy asked, nodding along with Terry's comment.  
  
Rose and Jack looked at each other. "I guess so," they said in unison.  
  
"Great!" Kathy said as she smiled. "This is going to be wonderful."  
  
Rose looked at Jack, her eyes shinning with excitment. This was going to be wonderful.  
  
************  
  
"You guys, I am not even kidding. Everyone was talking about you! And I do mean everyone."  
  
Rose turned around from her place in the passenger front seat and smiled at Tommy before turning back around. It was Jack's turn to drive her and Tommy to and from rehearsal. So she was sitting in the front next to Jack and Tommy was sitting in the backseat. This was the way they always sat; it had even became a little joke.  
  
"I hope they weren't talking trash about me," Jack joked from the drivers seat.  
  
"Nah, just about Rose," Tommy joked back.  
  
Rose gasped and turned back around. "That's not funny," she said. "Especially with people like Mary Anne still pissed at me for getting this part."  
  
Tommy started laughing. "Yeah I know what ya mean. Thank God Gwen and I are over with. But really, all good things guys. And Rose, you should have heard the talk in the boys dressing room." Tommy gave a long, slow whistle. "You have got some major fan clubs out there girl. They all can't wait to see you in the Juliet costume. And the way they were talking, well, I'll just say it... it made me proud to be best friends with "Juliet's" man."  
  
Rose turned to Jack. "Want me to hit him for you?" she asked.  
  
Jack laughed. "Go right ahead," he said giving Rose permission.  
  
Rose turned back around and hit Tommy on the knee. "You are such a loser," she added before turning back around. "Now you must be tortured." Rose started pushing some buttons near the radio of the car a few moments later the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack came over the car speakers.  
  
"No!" Tommy cried as he covered his ears. "Don't you think I have heard enough of this?"  
  
"No!" Jack and Rose shouted in unison and then they broke down laughing. Tommy stuck his tongue out at the couple and then shouted over the noise, "Turn it down and I'll shut up about the talking!"  
  
Rose turned and gave Tommy a cheeky smile. "Okay," she said finally turning the music down.  
  
"Thank you," Tommy mumbled. He took his hands off from his ears and smiled.  
  
"Get used to it Tom," Jack said from the front seat, "I am driving you tomorrow too."  
  
Tommy smirked at Jack. "Not if I take me own car," he said.  
  
Rose looked at Tommy again. "That would be nice, then Jack and I could be by ourselves for more then two seconds," she joked.  
  
"Umm, excuse me," Tommy argued, "who is going over to who's house tonight for dinner?"  
  
"I meant in the car," Rose started laughing and turned back around.  
  
"Hmmm, you and I in a car Rose?" Jack laughed at the thought. "We could do some real damage."  
  
"Okay," Tommy said as he noticed the turn off for his street, "drop me off here. I can tell this conversation is gunna get a little X-rated. And personally, I don't want to know what you guys do when you are alone."  
  
Jack laughed and pulled over. "You sure Tommy?" he asked.  
  
"Oh yeah," Tommy mumbled. He reached into the back of the car and pulled out his backpack. Jumping down from the vehicle he said, "See ya later guys. Don't do anything I couldn't do." Then he shut the door and was gone.  
  
Rose and Jack started laughing so hard that there were tears coming out of their eyes. When he finally calmed down Jack asked Rose if she wanted to go with him to pick up Aaron's birthday present at the mall.  
  
"Sure," Rose said before she started to giggle again. "Tommy's face, it was priceless," she said as they started to drive off toward the mall.  
  
Jack started laughing again. "Yeah, it was," he agreed. Rose calmed down and then asked Jack if he was going to Hoopfest, which was this weekend.  
  
Hoopfest was an annual thing in Spokane. Every June, around the last weekend, all of the streets in down town Spokane would shut down and teams from all over would come to play 3-on-3 basketball. Courts were set up in the streets with donated basketball hoops, tape was used for lines, and booths were all around with food and drinks. It was like a basketball fair.  
  
"I dunno," Jack said. He turned onto a new street. "Aaron is on a team, but I don't feel like walking around with four 9-year-olds all day. What about you?"  
  
Rose shrugged. "Mmm, I was thinking about going with Mollie. Nick is on a team and she wants to be with him. But if I go with her then she will talk to Nick the whole time and ignore me, so."  
  
Jack pulled the car over suddenly and turned it off. He turned to Rose. "What if you came with me," he suggested. "We could watch Aaron play, then go do our own thing between games. And if you wanted to watch Nick play we could go to that too."  
  
Rose's face brightened as she smiled. "That would be great," she agreed excitedly. "We could walk around and look at all the booths. And watch all the games. And just hang out. It would be really fun. I can pick you up at like six and we could be down there at seven. Have the whole day to be together."  
  
Jack smiled back at Rose. "Sounds wonderful," he agreed.  
  
Rose reached down and un-bulked her seatbelt for a moment. She moved closer to Jack and kissed him softly. Once she pulled away, Jack groaned.  
  
"We'd better get that present," he said softly.  
  
Rose smiled. "Yeah," she whispered. "We should." She sat back and buckled her seat belt up as Jack started the car again. "I love you Jack," Rose said.  
  
Jack smiled at her. "I love you too," he said before turning back into traffic. 


	6. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
"I'll get it!" six year old Aaron Dawson shouted when he heard the doorbell ring. He ran down the hall and pulled open the door. "Hi Rose!" he chirped when he saw his cousin's girlfriend standing on the front porch.  
  
Rose smiled at Aaron. "Hay bud," she said coming in and closing the door behind herself. "What are you doing up so early?" Rose asked as she picked him up.  
  
Aaron smiled brightly. "I am going with Felicity and Mom and Dad to watch Felicity's game! So we gotta leave early. She has an early game," he explained.  
  
"Ohhh," Rose said as she nodded. She kissed Aaron on the cheek and put him down. "Jack and I are going to come down and watch her play, so I guess we will see you."  
  
"Yep, I guess so," Aaron nodded. He held out the front of his shirt. "See...it says 'Team Supporter...Aaron Dawson.' Dad had it made especially for me!"  
  
Rose laughed and looked down at his shirt. "It sure does. That is pretty cool Aaron."  
  
"Yeah," Aaron mumbled, still looking at his shirt.  
  
Rose ruffled Aaron's brown hair and then asked, "Is Jack ready?" Aaron shrugged as he looked up at Rose again. "Is he even up yet?" Once again, Aaron shrugged his shoulders. He started laughing and ran off as his Mother called him.  
  
A moment later Maddy Dawson appeared in the front hall. "Aaron, Felicity, Rob...lets go!" she called. Then she noticed Rose. "Oh, hello darling," she said smiling.  
  
Rose smiled back. "Hello Mrs. Dawson."  
  
"Looking for Jack I assume?"  
  
Rose nodded.  
  
"Hmm, I yelled at him to get up. I am not sure he did," Maddy said, looking thoughtful. "I don't know. I am sorry dear, but we have to run," she went on as Robert, Felicity, and Aaron appeared.  
  
"Oh, that's alright," Rose answered. She felt odd, standing in the middle of the hall doing nothing, while everyone else was busy, getting last minute things together. As they were leaving Maddy called "Don't forget to have Jack lock the front door!" and then they were gone.  
  
Rose stood in the empty hallway, thinking about what to do. Jack didn't seam to be around. So finally Rose started up the staircase and down the hall to Jack's room. She quietly pushed open the door and peeked inside. The room was dark so she could barley see anything. Although Rose could hear that a fan was on. She went inside and saw the form of Jack lying down in bed, still asleep. Rose smiled evilly as an idea formed in her head. As fast as she could she ran and flopped down next to Jack, calling "Hey!"  
  
Jack's head shot up as felt Rose land on the bed. "What the-" he groggily asked.  
  
"Good morning sleepyhead," Rose said, starting to laugh giddily.  
  
"Wha, what time is it?" Jack asked as he layed back down next to Rose.  
  
"About six," Rose answered, smiling. "We are leaving at six-fifteen weather you are ready or not."  
  
Jack sat up again suddenly. He pulled over his alarm clock and hit it angrily. "Damn, my alarm was suppose to go off at five-thirty."  
  
Rose smiled, "Well, it didn't." She got up and pulled the covers off Jack. "Now get your ass in there and shower," she said pointing to the bathroom door.  
  
Jack groaned but quickly got up. "I am gunna kill that alarm," he mumbled, stumbling toward the bathroom. A moment later he disappeared into the bathroom that he shared with Aaron and then Rose heard the water from the shower start running.  
  
She took the time to turn on the light in Jack's room and looked around. It looked a lot like Rose's own room; clothes were all over the floor, posters covered the walls, drawers were open and more clothes were falling out of them, books of all sorts were covering a desk, and collage booklets and register information were next to his bed.  
  
"Hay Rose?"  
  
Rose turned and saw Jack's head pocking out of the door. His hair was all wet and water was dripping on the floor. "That was fast," she remarked.  
  
"Yeah, um, can you hand me that towel right there?" Jack asked, pointing to a dark blue towel draped over a chair.  
  
Rose turned at looked at where Jack was pointing. She quickly walked over and snatched the towel of the back of the desk chair before giving it to Jack. He mumbled thank you and then went back into bathroom. Rose waited patiently until he came back out, wearing the towel around his middle. His hair was still a bit damp, but it looked drier and was combed. She smiled at him for a moment before Jack got what she meant.  
  
"Oh, ah, can you turn around for a moment Rose, please?" he asked, somewhat embarrassed.  
  
Rose pretended to be upset, but she turned around anyway. She could hear Jack fussing around, looking for clothes. "I want to stop and get a coffee. So maybe at the coffee shop you could just get a muffin or something for breakfast," she said. Rose heard Jack zip up his shorts.  
  
"Yeah, sounds good," he answered. "You can turn around now."  
  
Rose smiled as she turned back to face him. "You look good," she complamented. He had on kacki shorts, a nice blue tee shirt that matched his eyes, and tennis shoes. "Hmmm, you smell clean too- for once," she joked as she came over.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes and looked Rose over. With her jean shorts, soft blue tank top, and comfortable sandals, she looked gorgous. And he told her that too. "Ahh, you are too kind Jack Dawson," Rose whispered before kissing him gently. "Now come on, I need coffee. I have been up since four-thirty."  
  
They walked downstairs and Rose waited while Jack made sure all the doors were locked and then he grabbed his keys. "Let's go," he said as he took Rose's hand. They walked out the front door, Jack making sure he locked it of course, and then down the driveway to where Rose's car was parked on the curb. After un-locking the doors, Rose climbed in the drivers seat and Jack climbed in the passenger seat. Then they took off for downtown Spokane, stopping only to get Rose's coffee with French vanilla flavoring and Jack's poppyseed muffin.  
  
Since it was early, Rose managed to get a parking spot as close as she could to the ordeal. While they were still in the car, Rose asked Jack if he had a map. Jack did and pulled it out of his pocket. He handed it to Rose. She unfolded it and stared at it.  
  
"Okay, what hoop is she at?" Rose asked after a moment.  
  
"Ahhh, McDonelds," Jack answered. He peered over the map with Rose while she found the McDonelds hoop.  
  
"Okay, hoop one or two?" she asked.  
  
"I am not sure," Jack confessed. "Maddy just said McDonelds."  
  
"That's okay," Rose said, "they are right next to each other. I am sure we can find it. She plays at seven right?"  
  
Jack nodded, "Yeah, seven sharp."  
  
"Okay, I talked to Mol and she said that Nick plays at two, so we got a while till that. If you even want to go to that," Rose informed Jack as she checked her make-up one last time and grabbed her purse. She unbuckled, as did Jack, and climbed out of the car.  
  
"Ready?" Jack asked, coming up next to her.  
  
Rose smiled and slipped her hand into Jack's. "Yeah, come on. Let's go."  
  
*****************  
  
"Come on Felicity!" Rose cheered as she watched Jack's cousin steal the basketball away from the opposite team and dribble toward the basket. The whole area yelled when Felicity scored a point, putting her team ahead. Suddenly, the referee blew his whistle. "Game!" he shouted. Rose screamed cheers for Felicity's team as they ran off the court. They had won!  
  
"Okay, next game is at one, right here!" Robert Dawson yelled to the other team members.  
  
Everyone left the area in a hurry, making room for the next two teams. Maddy, Robert, Felicity, and Aaron left even quicker, yelling something about the bathroom. Rose turned to Jack and smiled. "She's a good player," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Jack.  
  
Jack nodded and kissed Rose on the forehead. "Yes, she is. Kinda like her ole cousin."  
  
"Ha Ha, very funny," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "You said you didn't play basketball."  
  
"Anymore," Jack finished. "I did a lot when I younger."  
  
"Younger? Jack you are not that old," Rose smiled. He shrugged as Rose started laughing. "Come on, Old Mr. Dawson. I wanna find something to do. We have hours."  
  
Five minuets later Rose had dragged Jack into one of the malls that were around and started looking for a book store. "Why do you want to find a bookstore?" Jack asked as he followed her. Rose stopped moving and shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Its something to kill time. You know me, the bookworm. I can spend an hour in one of those stores, sometimes two."  
  
"You are crazy," Jack said but Rose was already pulling him along again.  
  
Three hours, two bookstores, three clothes stores, a Sam Goody, and $100 dollars later, Rose and Jack finally decided to have lunch. The went into The Onion, since Jack swore he couldn't go another hour without a salad from the restaurant. Rose ordered the same as Jack and they were out of the place in less then an hour.  
  
Then the rest of the day passed quickly. Felicity's team won their next game, automatically taking her to the next day. Nick's team won their first game, but then lost the next two, making them out of the competition. Liza, Mollie, Nick and his team, and a few others had gone out to celebrate the loss and Jack's aunt, uncle, and cousins went out to celebrate her team winning. The Dawson's also said they were going to catch a movie, so they wouldn't be home for a while.  
  
Rose and Jack were left alone and after they were finally on their way home, Rose asked Jack if he wanted to pick up a movie and come over to her house to watch it. "Sounds good," he said.  
  
They found a movie store, picked up a good video, and then started back for Rose's house. On the way there, Rose and Jack talked about the day and how well it had gone.  
  
The past few weeks had been busy, what with rehearsals and such. They were both warn out and looking forward to performance night, even though it was still a month away. The directors had been cracking down on accuracy the past few days, and a few scenes were starting to become dreaded ones. Neither Jack nor Rose was getting the exact lines down in one scene, at it seemed to be driving Kathy crazy. All of them were frustrated and the weekend was a welcomed time.  
  
After getting to Rose's house, Jack made popcorn and Rose started getting the living room ready for movie night. But when she tired to put the videotape in the VCR, it didn't work. It just shot the tape back out and made and awful nose.  
  
"What the hell?" Rose asked herself.  
  
Jack came over with the popcorn and saw what was the matter. He too tired to put the tape in the VCR, but it didn't work for him either.  
  
"It must be broken or has dust in it or something," Rose decided.  
  
Jack nodded and held the tape in his hands. "So now what are we gunna do?" he asked, looking around.  
  
"Well, my Mom will kill me if I try to fix that thing, because I will probably end up breaking it more," Rose explained. She took a handful of popcorn and sighed. "I guess we could watch the movie up in my bedroom," she offered.  
  
Jack broke into a smile. "Your mom is not going to like that," he said.  
  
Rose shrugged. "I know," she answered back. "But she's at a meeting and won't be back until late. You'll probably be gone when she gets back anyway." Rose picked up the popcorn and motioned for Jack to pick up the two cans of soda. "C'mon," she said starting for the stairs.  
  
Jack followed her up to her bedroom, still worried about what Ruth may do if she found them. Rose must have known that he was worried because she suggested they leave the door open and the lights on. Jack nodded in agreement as he put the tape in her VCR and then set the soda's down on her dresser. Rose made herself comfortable on her bed, the popcorn in her lap, and mentioned that Jack join her. He did so, smiling shyly at her. Rose picked up the remote and turned on the TV, pushing PLAY for the video after that. They sat and watched the movie, their hands joined. After about a half-hour, Rose noticed that Jack was being awfully quiet. She looked over and saw that he had fallen fast asleep. Sighing softly, Rose studied him. He was so peaceful looking, so sweet. She leaned down and kissed him quietly on the cheek. Snuggling down next to him, she then rested her head on his shoulder. Rose continued to watch the movie for a few minutes, but before long she too was fast asleep. The rush of the week had finally caught up with both of them.  
  
And this is how Ruth found them. She came home that night at around 10:30. The meeting had gone extremely well, and Ruth was happy about that. But she was tired and wanted to crawl into bed. She came inside the house, turned off all the lights, locked the doors, and then made her way upstairs.  
  
As she was passing by Rose's room, Ruth noticed a loud static noise. She peaked in and noticed that the static of the end of a movie was making the sound. She walked over and turned off the television and VCR. It was then that Ruth noticed Jack. She studied her daughter and her boyfriend. There was a bowl of popcorn wedged between then and their hands were clasped together. Rose's head was softly resting on Jack's shoulder and his arm was around Rose.  
  
Ruth then realized what was happened and softly smiled. She had done the same thing when she was Rose's age, although it had been in her parent's room. Ruth and her boyfriend had been watching a movie on TV when they fell asleep. Ruth's parents had come home and were a little angry at first, but once they realized what was going on, they softened up. Not wanting to wake them, Ruth gently took the popcorn bowl away and left the room, turning off the light as she went.  
  
*********  
  
Dear Diary-  
  
I woke up this morning next to Jack! Can you believe it? I thought I was dreaming, but I wasn't. He was there! We both fell asleep last night watching a movie and didn't even notice when Mom came home. She found us and to my surprise, she didn't really mind. She said she turning off the TV and lights and decided to let us sleep. Mom did keep the door open, hehehe. But when I woke up and I figured out that Jack was there, I thought we would for sure be in trouble. But we weren't. In fact, Mom had pancakes ready for us. Jack seemed to be embarrassed, but Mom joked with him about it and that made him feel better. After breakfast we called Jack's Aunt and Uncle and explained what had happened. They laughed at us, although they had been worried about their nephew. Anyway, Jack went home soon after that and here I am. Rehearsals start again tomorrow, sigh. I love the play, but I am so sick of some scenes. I got myself into this though, right? And it's a good thing I did, or else I may have never met Jack. Ohhh, that is horrible to think about. I'll keep ya posted diary! Bubye! 


	7. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
  
Performance Night  
  
August 2000  
  
It was the second of two performance nights and Rose was a wreck. As far as she was concerned, tonight was worse the last night. Last night had been the opening night; things were expected to go a little wrong. But tonight, the actors were supposed to be over all that. And to make matters worse, almost everyone Rose knew was here to watch her tonight. Her mother, her cousins and aunt and uncle from Seattle, Mollie, Liza, Nick, Sara, Jack's family, Fabrizio, John, Marianne Westmore, and a bunch of people from Rose's old school. Rose was more nervous then she had been the night before, pacing in her dressing room.  
  
Come on Rose, you know this play! Just pretend its dress rehearsal. You won't even notice them once you get out there. Just breathe, Rose. Just breathe, she silently coached herself. Glancing in the mirror, she checked her makeup again and then looked at the clock. Three minutes until curtain. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Rose opened it and gasped when she saw Jack. Jack, who was dressed in his tights and such that went along with his costume. Rose thought he looked adorable, but none the less, she was shocked.  
  
"What are you doing here? You have a scene before I do. You're suppose to be backstage!"  
  
Jack grinned and came in. "Can't I just take a minute to see you before I go?" he asked playfully.  
  
Rose groaned and shut the door. "You know you're not suppose to be here. Now, hurry up. We've got a play to do."  
  
"Come here," Jack said, pulling her toward him. "I just want to kiss you before we go onstage. After that, all the kissing I will do will be in front of the audience."  
  
Rose smiled even though she was worried about being caught. She leaned in and quickly kissed Jack. "Now go," she whispered, motioning toward the door.  
  
Jack leaned down and kissed her one last time. "All right. I'm leaving." He let go of Rose and started toward the door. Once his hand was on the doorknob, he turned and smiled. "Don't be nervous, Rose. You'll do great!"  
  
"Thanks." Rose blushed. "Now go!"  
  
Jack laughed and opened the door. "See you at the party, Juliet!" he called as he left the room.  
  
Rose sighed and glanced at the clock again. "I better get up there," she mumbled to herself. Checking herself over one last time, Rose started out of the dressing room. Her white gown swished as she walked, her heels clicking on the floor. And even though Rose knew that the costume was suppose to be low, she couldn't help feel self-conscious as to how much cleavage the dress showed. Jack had told her she looked great, but Rose still felt weird.  
  
Passing by a few people, who weren't in scenes until much later, Rose tried to smile and appear calm. They waved and called soft good lucks! But all Rose could hear was the soft sounds of people talking out in the audience. Just as she arrived backstage, the lights in the house dimmed, and Rose heard Kathy start to talk.  
  
"I want to thank you all for coming tonight. You are in for a real treat. Our actors have been practicing for two months, night and day, to bring you this show. And I promise you, you will not be disappointed. While all of our cast members are wonderful, and are truly gifted, I think two people will surely stay in your mind for a long time. And those two people are Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt-Bukater, also known as Romeo and Juliet. These two will draw you into the story in such a way that Shakespeare would have been proud." Rose blushed and glanced over at another cast member, who gave her a thumb's up sign. Kathy continued, "They will make you want to fall in love all over again, and I promise you, there will not be a dry eye in this theater by the time the night is over." There was a soft laugh from the audience. "I could go on forever, talking about the antics of the cast. About how at times, they were ready to give up and storm out of here. And how Rose and Jack sometimes got carried away with being Romeo and Juliet.ahem!'' There was another laugh from the audience, and once again Rose blushed as red as her hair. She could tell a few of the other actors were trying not to laugh at the memory. "But I know you are all anxious to get to the show. So, ladies and gentleman, I give you...Romeo and Juliet!" The sound of Kathy's heels was quickly drowned out by applause and a moment later, Kathy appeared from the stage. "Go get 'em," she whispered to Rose as she came over.  
  
"Thank you," Rose mumbled.  
  
Kathy smiled and walked away, leaving Rose by herself. She moved over to where she could see the play, and sat down in a nearby chair. Watching with awe, Rose saw the play start to gain momentum. The cast was putting their hearts and souls into this play, knowing it was the last night. Rose smiled when Jack first was on stage, looking forlorn and sad. She loved watching him act. It made her heart soar the same way it did when he was drawing. Before long, Rose noticed she was due onstage in a few moments. She took a deep breath and waited for her cue.  
  
"What, Juliet!"  
  
There it was, the line she was supposed to come in on. Rose closed her eyes for less than a moment and then opening it up, saw Jack on the other side of backstage. He caught her eye and smiled at her. Rose smiled back and in that instant knew she could do it. She could perform this play. She could be Juliet. Walking onstage, Rose calmly started her lines.  
  
Jack sat backstage and watched Rose talk with her Mother and nurse. She was such a wonderful actress, he decided, speaking her lines with passion, and Jack began to think she was really Juliet. The way she moved and spoke made her seem like the real thing, the real Juliet. Well, if Juliet had have been real, Jack thought to himself, Rose would have been her clone. Funny, beautiful, smart, a girl willing to risk it all for love. It made Jack smile just to think of her looking at him.  
  
"Stop it, Jack Dawson," he whispered very quietly. "You'll never get through the play if you don't stop it." He tried once again to watch Rose, but his thoughts just kept going to all the times they had spent together. Jack knew they were both only eighteen, and they were just out of high school. But he loved Rose more then anything. He would do anything for her. He would die for her. Jack looked at her again. And glanced down at her left hand. An idea started to form in his mind and slowly a smile formed on Jack's face.  
  
*****  
  
Rose was trying not to laugh as she listened to Romeo speak his lines. He had an almost funny, adoring look in his eyes that Rose was sure only she could notice and she wondered what was going through his head. They were doing the scene were Romeo left Juliet after their wedding night, standing up on a balcony, Juliet begging Romeo not to leave. Rose smiled, successfully stopping any thoughts of laughing.  
  
"Yon daylight is not daylight, and know it I," she said, going on with the rest of her lines. Her mind kept thinking about what would happen if this were real, she and Jack were talking the morning after their wedding night. Wedding night...Rose almost blushed when she thought of it and forced herself to focus on the play.  
  
The rest of the night went smoothly, Rose even working up real tears for the death scene. As soon as the curtain dropped, the audience burst into applause. Kathy and Terry gave a thumb's up from offstage as the cast members all came out from various places offstage and all formed a line. The curtain opened again and they all bowed. Then the curtain closed for a seconded time and everyone quickly paired off in twos. Once the curtain was raised again, Rose watched as two by two people's names were announced along with their characters. Finally, it was time for Jack and Rose, who were the very last people.  
  
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the stars of our show...Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt-Bukater!" Terry announced excitedly, pride in his voice. Rose grabbed Jack's hand and they walked downstage. The moment they raised their arms and prepared to give one last bow, the audience all stood up and clapped wildly. Some people were whistling and some were shouting things like "Go Rose!" and "Awesome job, Jack!" The couple bowed and when they came back up, Jack pulled Rose toward him and kissed her again. The audience went wild again and with that, the final curtain dropped.  
  
*****  
  
Jack was lying out in the grass, Rose half-asleep next to him. It was past midnight and they had just gotten back from the theater. The play had lasted until ten, and by the time they had helped take the set down it had been 11:30. Since everyone was too tired to think, the cast party had been put off until the next afternoon and thankfully the cast had all gone home. Jack had driven Rose home and they had never quite made it into the house. He had pretty much just parked the car at her house and then they went around back with a blanket and lay down, looking up at the stars. Both were tired as hell, but neither wanted to leave. Jack felt Rose stir and he looked down at her. She was snuggling closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"It's nice out tonight," she whispered when she saw him look at her.  
  
Jack smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah," he mumbled, yawning loudly.  
  
Rose smiled back and then looked back up at the sky. "I think the play went great," she commented. "You especially were wonderful. God, I have seen you do some scenes a million times and I still get these little goosebumps all over. It's like I am seeing it for the first time." It was dark, but Rose could tell he was blushing.  
  
Jack cleared his throat and pulled Rose closer, kissing her head. "You were brilliant too, you know," he whispered in her ear. "You were magical. You brought that whole play to life. You were Juliet, Rose. You brought her to everyone in that audience."  
  
Rose was blushing now, her blue eyes staring at Jack as though he were a god. "How did I find you?" she asked softly. "I love you so much, Jack."  
  
"I love you, too, Rose," he whispered back.  
  
It was quiet after that, only the soft sounds of the wind and distant crickets. Jack's mind was wandering, though, to different thoughts. To different places. He looked down at Rose again, wondering how to word what he wanted to say next.  
  
"Rose--" He stopped short, thinking again of what Rose might say.  
  
"Hmm...what, Jack?" she asked softly, looking up at him with wonder.  
  
"I...well...Rose, will you come to Seattle with me?"  
  
Rose gasped and sat up. "What?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Jack sat up next to her and started to explain. "I am going to Seattle next week to look at the college campus and I wanted to know if you would like to come along. Seeing as you are going to the same college. School starts in just a few weeks and I kind of want to see the place before I just show up there."  
  
Rose sighed and put her hand on her heart. "Dear God," she whispered. "I want to go Jack, its just we've been so busy, and...oh, I don't know. Can I think about this?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Of course," he promised. "I am not forcing you to go, Rose."  
  
She nodded as she stood up. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," she whispered. "Good night, Jack."  
  
And with that Jack watched her run across the backyard and then disappear inside the house. He sighed and slowly stood up, thinking about Rose's reaction. She seemed almost scared. Jack reached down and picked up the blanket, folding it over his arm. A moment later Rose's bedroom light turned on and he watched as she came to the window. She looked down at him and blew a soft kiss. He blew a kiss back and then started toward his car.  
  
*****  
  
Phone Conversation Between Rose and Sara  
  
10:00 AM The Next Morning  
  
Rose: Hello?  
  
Sara: Hey! You sound funny. Are you okay?  
  
Rose: Hey, Sara. You woke me up.  
  
Sara: Oh, sorry. I forgot you were out late.  
  
Rose: It's all right.  
  
Sara: So how drunk were you and Jack?  
  
Rose: Sara!  
  
Sara: Geez, it was a joke. I guess you are awake now, huh?  
  
Rose: It's not funny...so how was I last night?  
  
Sara: You were great, really. I loved that one scene you did, you know, where you demanded the poison. That was great!  
  
Rose: Thanks.  
  
Sara: Yeah, no problem. So how late did you get home?  
  
Rose: Um, around twelve.  
  
Sara: The play got over at like 10:30...  
  
Rose: Yeah. So?  
  
Sara: Where were you and Jack all that time, huh? I saw you up on stage. I know you two are getting pretty serious.  
  
Rose: Sara, come on, we were taking down the set and stuff. It takes a while. And anyway, Jack and I aren't like that yet.  
  
Sara: Really?  
  
Rose: Yes, really. I told you that last week or whenever.  
  
Sara: I know, but I figured, you know, I guessed you would have by now.  
  
Rose: Well, we haven't. So drop it.  
  
Sara: Okay, sorry.  
  
Pause.  
  
Rose: He asked me to go to Seattle with him.  
  
Sara: Oh, my God! Really? Why?  
  
Rose: To look at the college, get a feel for the campus. Makes sense, actually.  
  
Sara: Monkers...  
  
Rose laughed.  
  
Rose: Monkers? I haven't heard you use that word in a while.  
  
Sara: Yeah, well...so you're going?  
  
Rose: I dunno yet. I haven't given him an answer.  
  
Sara: You haven't! You have to go. I mean, how many people get a chance like this to go away with their boyfriend, no parents, no siblings, no anyone around.  
  
Rose: There will be lots of people around.  
  
Sara: Yes, but none that you know.  
  
Rose: True...and I really do want to go. I love Jack. I can't imagine being away from him like that for a week.  
  
Sara: See! You want to go bad. You're scared of what your Mommy is gonna say.  
  
Rose: I am not!  
  
Sara: Yes, you are. You are afraid Mommy will hate you for going off to the big city with your boyfriend.  
  
Rose: I'm eighteen, Sara. My mom can't forbid me to go.  
  
Sara: So does that mean you are going?  
  
Rose: Why do you want me to go so bad?  
  
Sara: No reason. You just need a vacation is all.  
  
Rose: Yeah. Okay, I know what you mean.  
  
Sara: So you're going?  
  
Rose: Yeah...  
  
Sara: Don't sound too excited.  
  
Rose: I'm just tired.  
  
Sara: Gotcha. I'll let you go, I guess.  
  
Rose: Thanks...  
  
Sara: But I'll be calling you this afternoon to make sure you've called Jack.  
  
Rose: Okay.  
  
Sara: I'll talk to you soon.  
  
Rose: All right. Bye.  
  
Sara: Bye.  
  
*****  
  
Phone Conversation between Jack and Rose  
  
Eleven AM  
  
Jack: Hello. Dawson residence.  
  
Rose: Hey, Jack.  
  
Jack: Oh, hey Rose. What's going on?  
  
Rose: Nothing much.  
  
Jack: Yeah, me either. I am so tired. Aaron woke me up at like eight with stupid Spongebob Square Pants. You know I hate that show.  
  
Rose laughed.  
  
Rose: Yeah, I know.  
  
Jack: There should be a law...  
  
Rose: Hmm, yeah.  
  
Jack: Yeah...  
  
Pause.  
  
Rose: Um, look Jack. The reason I was calling was to say that I wanna go to Seattle with you.  
  
Jack: Really! Great! Wow, I was worried you would say no.  
  
Rose: No, I really want to go. It will be fun. We can go hang out at the waterfront and go to the Space Needle and all that jazz.  
  
Jack: Yeah, sounds great, doesn't it! We could take a ferry to Bainbridge Island if you wanted to. Or maybe up the San Juan's.  
  
Rose: Okay. Awesome. Ah, look, I gotta go talk to my mom about all this. So I'll call you back later. Oh, yeah, when are we going?  
  
Jack: The, ah, fifth. So, Saturday.  
  
Rose: All right. I love you.  
  
Jack: Love you, too.  
  
Rose: Talk to you later.  
  
Jack: Bye.  
  
Rose: Bye... 


	8. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine  
  
Saturday, August 5, 2001  
  
5:00 AM  
  
Ruth watched from the window as her daughter ran out to meet Jack at his car. He kissed her gently and then took her bags. He set them in the trunk of his Explorer and then asked Rose something. She answered, and then smiled at him. He laughed and then came over to her again. Jack kissed Rose on the cheek and then said something else to her. She nodded and then started for the house. Ruth backed away from the window then and started downstairs to say good-bye to Rose. She was leaving today to go to Seattle with Jack. Ruth had been totally against it when Rose had first asked. But somehow, Rose had talked her into it. Saying things like it would be better for her to get a good look at the campus and how it would be nice to get a feel for Seattle before she started living there. And then Rose had said that she was going to go whether Ruth let her or not. She was eighteen now, old enough to make her own choices. And if she wanted to go to Seattle, she was going to go. Ruth had given in, saying it was fine. But really she was worried about Rose. Her daughter had done some wild and crazy, almost stupid, things before. Who knew what she would do in a big city with her boyfriend? Ruth tried to look happy as she saw Rose come in, a big smile on her face.  
  
"Bye, Mother," she said coming over.  
  
Ruth hugged Rose and then pulled her away to look at her. "Good-bye, sweetie. You be careful, all right?"  
  
Rose rolled her eyes. "Aren't I always?" she asked.  
  
Ruth raised her eyebrows. "Rose, I am trusting you here. Make sure I don't regret it," she warned.  
  
Rose blushed, thinking about what her mother might mean. "Mother, I am old enough to know what I should and shouldn't do. Don't worry about me."  
  
Ruth sighed. "I'll try not to, Rose."  
  
Rose smiled. "Thank you. Now, Jack wants to show me his old house and then we are going to say hi to his Aunt and Uncle up in Yakima. So depending on how late we get there, we might not get into Seattle until tomorrow. Jack doesn't like driving over the pass at night, and frankly, neither do I. So, we might be spending the night in Ellensburg or Yakima or wherever. But I'll call you around eight, wherever we are. I've got my cell phone, so call me if you need to."  
  
Ruth nodded and kissed Rose on the cheek. "All right, dear," she whispered.  
  
There was a honk from outside, making both of them jump.  
  
"Geez, he's gonna wake up the whole neighborhood. I better go, Mom." Rose smiled again and then started toward the door. "Good-bye, Mother! Love you! See you in a week!" she called as she ran down the front walkway.  
  
"Bye Rose!" Ruth called back weakly. She watched as Rose jumped into the car and closed the door. She and Jack waved one last time and then they left. Ruth wiped a tear from her eyes and then went back into the house, hoping to get some more sleep.  
  
*****  
  
"Why the hell is there so much traffic at 5:20 in the morning?" Jack asked Rose. She was looking out the window, trying to see what was going on.  
  
"Ah, I think they are doing something with the road. We could be here a little longer," she said before sighing. Jack rolled his eyes and then turned on the radio.  
  
"Hey, some news to all of you out on Division; there is a twenty or thirty minute wait to get onto I-90. So avoid that area if you can. I'm Jay 'Mad- man' Kelly and this The Zoo. Up next we have Jennifer Lop--"  
  
"Okay, that answers my question," Jack said, turning the radio off again.  
  
Rose smiled at him. "Hey, we've been here ten minutes already. It can't be that much longer," she said, trying to cheer him up. "Come on, this is suppose to be fun! We get to go to Seattle for a week."  
  
Jack looked over at her and smiled. "Well, with all the stuff we brought, you think it would be a month," he said, gesturing his head toward the back of the car.  
  
Rose rolled her eyes. "Jack, you're starting to sound like my mother."  
  
Jack grinned. "Sorry," he apologized. He reached over and took her hand. "But seriously Rose...I am glad we are going. I'm a just a little tired, that all." He kissed her hand and then smiled again.  
  
"Well, sweetie, I love you...but five in the morning is much to early. Let's make it like ten next time."  
  
"Okay," Jack whispered. He let go of her hand and then turned his attention back to the road.  
  
"Hey, I'm hungry. You have anything to eat?" Rose asked, looking around. The only thing she could find were a bunch of CD's, maps, tapes, and a few books.  
  
"Didn't you eat?" he asked.  
  
"No, I wasn't hungry at home. But that bakery back there made me want breakfast," Rose explained.  
  
"Ah, there is a Safeway bag behind my seat. I think there is some stuff in there. We can stop and get coffee in Ritzville or somewhere if you want. Just let me get out of Spokane."  
  
"Kay," Rose said. Her voice was muffled, though, because she was leaning down, looking behind Jack's seat. "Ah ha!" she exclaimed, sitting back up. "I found scones and bottled water!" she said happily, fixing her seatbelt. Jack laughed and watched as she quickly ate one of the treats and then took a sip of her water. All the while, they were moving forward little by little. Finally, after was seemed like hours--it was really only twenty minutes--they finally made it onto the freeway and started toward western Washington.  
  
Two hours later...  
  
Jack softly drummed one hand against the side of the steering wheel and drove steadily with the other. He was on a long stretch of road between Moses Lake and Vantage that seemed to be taking a long time. Out the windshield was road, out his window was cornfield after cornfield, and out the passenger window were countless wheat-fields. He was beginning to get a little restless, and bored. Jack glanced over at Rose, who had fallen asleep right after they stopped for coffee. She was still asleep, much to his disappointment. But she looked lovely, he decided, watching her breathe in and out softly. A bit of her hair was lying in her face and her mouth was parted slightly, as if she was drinking something. Rose also cuddled one of her many pillows to her chest and kind of off to the side. Jack sighed softly, thinking how it would be nice to be that pillow, before turning his attention back to the road. He debated turning on the radio, or a CD, fearing it would wake Rose up. Finally deciding to take his chances and risk her getting mad at him, Jack slipped Rose's Faith Hill Breathe CD into the stereo and turned it on softly. At first, Jack hadn't like Faith's music at all; he usually didn't like country. But he had been with Rose so much when she had been listening to it that he found he liked it. Course, Rose had been turned on to some of his types of music as well. He found her listening to more and more rock than she had when they first met.  
  
Jack continued to drive on, wishing more and more that Rose would wake up. He didn't mind that she was sleeping really, it would just be nice if she could talk and sleep at the same time, he decided. Finally, he heard her make a soft noise and he quickly turned his head. She yawned and sat up before opening her eyes and looking around. "Hey," she whispered sleepily when she saw him.  
  
"Hey yourself," Jack whispered back, smiling at her.  
  
Rose sighed and stretched her arms. "How long have I been sleeping?" she asked as she started reaching down in her backpack for something.  
  
"About an hour and a half...we're almost to the river," Jack responded. He watched as she sat up and ran a brush through her hair.  
  
"Sorry I fell asleep." Rose laughed as she put her brush back and then sat back up. She smiled at Jack. "I was so tired. I'm sorry if you got bored; you must be if you're listening to Faith Hill," she joked.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes at her. "I like Faith Hill, so just back off..."  
  
Rose started laughing again and reached over to turn the music up. "Oh, so you like listening to Faith and her husband sing about making love? I never knew you had such a feminine side, Jack Dawson." She grinned at him again. "Let's make love...all night long!" she sang in unison with the song, hitting the notes higher then she should have.  
  
Jack started laughing as well as he reached over to turn the song back down. "Can I help it if it makes me think of you, Rose?" he asked, making her blush and bite her lip.  
  
Rose cleared her throat and shook her head. "Yeah, um, well...that's great. Now, let's see...what could we do." She glanced at Jack and looked thoughtfully. Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "I've got it! I saw this on Friends once. Okay, I am going to say a word and you have to say the first word that comes to mind. Know what I mean?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But what is the point of this?"  
  
Rose shrugged. "I dunno...I just think it sounds like fun." She shifted in her seat and adjusted her seatbelt. "Okay...clear your mind."  
  
"Okay, cleared..." Jack responded.  
  
"All right...let's see...water!"  
  
"Wet," Jack responded uncertainly.  
  
"TV!"  
  
"MTV...I think I am getting this."  
  
Rose laughed. "This is fun. Okay...computer."  
  
"Ah...Internet."  
  
"Seattle!"  
  
"You!"  
  
Rose laughed once again. "All right. That's great. Um, let's see. Hot dog!"  
  
"Not going there!" is what Jack responded, making Rose crack up again. She took a deep breath and tried to think of more questions.  
  
"Mini Me!"  
  
"Same answer as before!" Jack yelled again, making himself laugh this time.  
  
"Stage."  
  
"Romeo and Juliet."  
  
"Church."  
  
"Getting married," Jack said without thinking.  
  
Rose gasped and looked at Jack. She raised her eyebrows at him and he blushed. "Sorry," he mumbled softly. "Forget I said it."  
  
Rose said she would, but the idea stuck in the back of her mind. "Um...let's see...ten cents."  
  
Jack hesitated on this question. "Why do I have the feeling that's suppose to be something really important?"  
  
"That's not how you're suppose to answer," Rose responded playfully. "But never mind, this is getting old right now."  
  
Jack looked over at her and grinned. "Fine by me. Now what are we gonna do?"  
  
Rose shrugged and looked out the window. It was quite for a moment, while both of them tried to think of things to do. Finally, Jack got an idea.  
  
"What if we just talked?"  
  
Rose turned from the window and smiled. "What do you mean?" she asked softly.  
  
Jack shrugged. "You know, just talk. About things we don't know about each other and.you know...things like that."  
  
Rose grinned at Jack and rolled her eyes. "Okay, sure...we can talk about things and stuff."  
  
And that is just what Jack and Rose did; talked about things and stuff.  
  
*****  
  
"So who is this we are going to see?" Rose asked some time later, around three in the afternoon.  
  
They had been traveling all day except for the few hours around lunch when they had stopped in Ellensburg and the hour in Vantage. In Ellensburg Jack taken Rose on a mini tour of the whole town. He had shown her where he went to elementary school and middle school, where he used to hang out, and his old house. He even showed her where he had jumped off a bridge and almost broke both of his legs because the water was shallower then he thought. Rose had even gotten a chance to see where Jack's parents were buried. They had stopped at the graveyard and sat down for a while. Jack seemed a little nervous when they first got there, but after a while it seemed, to Rose, that he was at peace. They ate a late lunch and then stopped one last time at a small gift shop Rose had heard about. After all that, they were on their way Yakima, where Jack's relatives lived.  
  
Jack started to speak again, breaking through Rose's thoughts. "It's my Aunt Monica and my Uncle Steven. And their four children. Monica is my Mom's younger sister. She's awesome; you are going to love her. I promise. And Uncle Steve, well, he's great, too. Just be sure you don't diss baseball, especially the Mariners."  
  
Rose grinned. "Hey, I can talk baseball with anyone. Believe me. My uncle who lives in Seattle is about the biggest fan I can think of. And every time we are over there, he fills me in on everything that has happened since the last time we talked. It's not bad, actually."  
  
"Well, that's good," Jack answered. He looked over and smiled at Rose. "I guess you're covered."  
  
"Yeah...now who are your cousins?"  
  
Jack paused for a moment. "Well, let's see. Mary is the oldest. And, well, she's must be around fourteen, fifteen now. Then there is Kyle, and he is eleven, I think. Next is Joey who is about eight. And last is Gweneth. But don't call her that, it always Gwen unless she in trouble. And she is...seven...maybe six."  
  
Rose raised her eyebrows. "Wow, okay. Let's see...Mary, Kyle...Joey...right?"  
  
Jack nodded in response to her question.  
  
"And then it's Gwen."  
  
"You've got it.  
  
Rose grinned at Jack. "How much longer until we are there?" she asked softly. She was getting excited to meet his relatives. And Rose needed to stretch her legs very badly.  
  
"Ah, about fifteen minutes. We are just coming into town right now. Then I gotta figure out how to get to their house..." Jack trailed off, as if speaking to himself. Rose smiled and then looked back out the window again. She had never been to Yakima, so the sights were new to her. At the moment she could only see trees and a river, but before long they got off the freeway and Rose got her first glimpse of the town. Looking around, she could see a lot of hotels and restaurants on one side of the street and pretty much what were trailer parks and low-income houses. Driving on, the scenery began to get a bit nicer. The ghettos gave way to more business, nicer than the ones before, and more sophisticated buildings. But there was still a lot of graffiti and run down areas, ruining the whole area. At lot of Hispanic influence, Rose noticed. Not that it is bad, she mentally corrected herself. It's just there is a lot of it.  
  
They came to a stop a few minutes later and Jack looked over at Rose. He raised his eyebrows. "It's not the best area of town," he commented, as if reading her thoughts.  
  
Rose nodded and then smiled at Jack. "Yeah," she mumbled. "But that's okay. I've seen worse."  
  
Jack nodded back and then turned his attention back to the road. The light turned green, allowing him to turn and start going down another street. They started going west, and as they did so, Rose noticed everything slowly started getting nicer. There started to be a lot more doctor's, real estate, and lawyer's offices and a lot more parks. Here and there, Rose also saw a few schools and a couple of quaint shops.  
  
"Is this downtown Yakima?" she asked, wondering if it was, where the malls and big restaurants were.  
  
Jack shook his head. "Not really. The real downtown is back the way we came. You just turn the opposite way. I think there is like a mall and Nordstrom's or something. And banks, The Olive Garden, YMCA...things like that. But the thing I think you would really enjoy is the Capitol Theater. Big, famous stage with, you know, the whole deal. Balcony, dome ceiling with art decorating it, elegant reception room, grand staircases, awesome seats and carpet. It's great, I've been there a few times."  
  
Rose's eyes lit up at the mention of the theater. "Are there any shows playing tonight?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "Nah, the season usually goes September through May or something. But I think Aunt Monica knows someone that works there, maybe she can get us in."  
  
Rose grinned. "That would be awesome." She started fiddling with the car stereo then. Jack looked over and became confused.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Ah, looking for a radio station. Do you know what they have here?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "I have no idea," he said. "Try like 106 or something. There might be something around there.  
  
Rose followed his instructions, finding a station on 107. The One, by the Backstreet boys was on. Rose rolled her eyes, she was so sick of Boy Bands. She switched the tuner again and found a different station. This time How Do You Like Me Now? by Toby Keith was on. "Yes," Rose exclaimed, turning the volume way up.  
  
Jack started laughing as she rolled down the window and started singing along.  
  
"...then you married into money girl, isn't it a strange and funny world! He took your dreams, and he tore them apart. He never comes home and your always alone and your kids hear you crying down the hall. The alarm clock starting ringing, who could that be singing? It's me baby! With your wake up call!"  
  
Jack finally gave up and started to sing along with her.  
  
"How do you like me now! Now that I'm on my way. Do you still think I'm crazy, standing here today? I couldn't make you love me, but I always dreamed about living in your radio...how do ya like me now?"  
  
They finished the rest of the song together, singing and yelling it at the top of their lungs. People around on the sidewalks turned and a few stared, but Rose and Jack didn't care. They were having fun. And that was all that mattered.  
  
Afterwards, Rose started laughing along with Jack who was having trouble concentrating on where he was going.  
  
"Oh, Lord, I would love to get up and sing that to Marianne's face someday. Except I have my own version," Rose explained, giggling after every sentence.  
  
Jack started laughing again at the image of Rose singing to Marianne. He could just see her standing on a stage with her rival in the audience. She would start signing and then everyone else who didn't like Marianne would come out and join in, himself included.  
  
Rose sighed happily, breaking his thoughts. "Wouldn't that be wonderful..." she trailed off.  
  
Jack smiled at her. "Yeah, it would be great," he agreed after a moment, the vision of Rose on stage still in his mind.  
  
Rose shook her head and turned down the radio. "Are we almost there?" she asked again.  
  
Jack laughed. "You sound like Aaron...yes, we are almost there."  
  
Rose grinned at Jack. "How much longer?"  
  
Jack pretended to be exasperated. "Ugh, not much." He started to slow down, looking at the different houses. "In fact..." he finally said, pulling up in front of a house, "here we are."  
  
Rose looked outside and gasped. They were in a totally different part of town than they originally had been. She couldn't see anything but neighborhoods and the whole area looked antique and really, really nice. Top of the line houses. Her eyes finally focused on Jack's aunt and uncle's house. "Wow," she said softly. The blue and white Victorian beauty stood before her, drawing her into the house. Trees stood all around the property, shading the entry area. It was her dream home, she decided.  
  
All at once the front door opened and a woman ran out. She had blond hair, much like Jack's and was a little shorter then Rose was. She was yelling something and Rose noticed that Jack had jumped out of the car. Rose unbuckled quickly and opened the door. She saw the woman, who must have been Monica, hugging Jack tightly. He was laughing and smiling a lot, making Rose smile herself. "Rose! Come here!" Jack said excitedly when he noticed Rose standing there.  
  
Rose came over and stood next to Jack and his aunt.  
  
"Aunt Mon, this is my girlfriend, and best friend in the world, Rose DeWitt- Bukater," he said proudly, taking her hand and pulling her closer.  
  
Monica smiled at Rose and extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Rose. I've heard a lot about you, dear."  
  
Rose extended her free hand and shook Monica's hand. "It's a pleasure, Mrs..." she trailed off, realizing she didn't know Jack's aunt's last name.  
  
"It's Raines, dear. But don't call me that. Just Monica is fine."  
  
Rose smiled and nodded her head. "Well, it's a pleasure, Monica. Thank you for having us."  
  
Monica looked from Jack to Rose and then smiled. "You two are staying the night," she finally said.  
  
Jack started to protest, saying they had to get to Seattle, that the hotel was expecting them. But Monica cut in.  
  
"Nonsense, Jack. We haven't seen you in about a year. I'm not letting you just stay a couple of hours. You and Rose can sleep downstairs, leave tomorrow morning. Whatever. But you are staying. And don't try to argue with me, Jack. I'm your aunt."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes and finally gave up. He started to laugh and then just smiled. He turned to Rose and raised his eyebrows as if to ask Is that okay? Rose nodded quickly and then smiled at him reassuringly.  
  
"Okay, Mon, we'll stay," he agreed finally.  
  
Monica clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "That is wonderful!" She gestured toward the car. "Now, grab your bags and come inside. I'll tell the children you are here." She ran off into the house, leaving Jack and Rose.  
  
Rose turned to Jack and smiled. "Well..." she started. "I guess we'll be a little late."  
  
Jack just grinned and started toward the car. He opened up the back and looked around. "Which suitcase do ya want?" he asked. She had brought three.  
  
Rose came over and looked around. "Um, this one," she said, pulling out the smallest of the three. "I think it had everything I need. I am just going to grab my pillow out of the front."  
  
Jack nodded as she dragged the suitcase onto the grass and then went to get her pillow. He rummaged around and found his backpack that contained a pair of shorts, a shirt, and clean underwear. That was about all he needed. He joined Rose on the front walkway and together they walked inside.  
  
Rose gasped when she walked into the front hall. It was like looking at a movie set from a film set in 1900; a big lavish staircase, dark woodwork, beautiful pieces of furniture. Rose was in heaven.  
  
Jack smiled at her reaction, it was the same as his had been when he first visited his aunt and uncle's new home back in 1997. Before that, they had lived out in the country. He gently took her hand and started pulling her toward the right. "Come on," he said softy, breaking through her thoughts.  
  
Rose followed him in a trance, still in shock. She was led down a less formal staircase into a big, what looked like, bonus room. There was a couch, a few armchairs, and a television set. There was also a mini-bar and refrigerator. Jack started leading her down a different hall then, coming to a stop outside a door. He dropped her hand and pushed open the door, revealing a spare bedroom. There were two twin beds, a dresser, a closet, and a television.  
  
Jack set his suitcase down on one of the beds and then Rose did the same. They looked at each other and just smiled at the same time.  
  
"What do we do now?" Rose asked after a minute.  
  
Jack thought for a moment. "First, we need to call the hotel and tell them we'll not be there until tomorrow," he said thoughtfully. "Then I don't know what."  
  
Rose nodded and then smiled. "Come on," she said coming over and taking his hand. "There is a phone upstairs, right?" Jack nodded and then followed her out of the room, switching off the light as he did so.  
  
Jack and Rose walked upstairs and managed to find a telephone in the kitchen. Jack ran over and quickly found the telephone book. He looked for the directory number for Seattle and then started dialing. Rose sat down on a nearby barstool and watched as Jack started talking to someone on the other line. Monica came in a moment later carrying a basket of clothes. She looked at Jack, confused as to what he was doing.  
  
Rose spoke up. "He's changing the reservations at the hotel."  
  
Monica looked over and nodded. "Ah, all right. I'll be back in a minute, hon, I just have to put these clothes away."  
  
"All right," Rose said softly. Monica smiled and then left the room quickly. Rose turned her attention back to Jack. He was arguing with someone now, and she wondered with whom and what about.  
  
"What do you mean? There has to be a room available!"  
  
Rose raised her eyebrows. No room? 'Oh no,' she thought to herself.  
  
"What? You do? Well?" There was a pause while Jack listened to the person on the other line. "Whoa, wait, one be--hold on a minute please." He took the phone away from his ear and covered up the sound part. He looked at Rose and rolled his eyes. "There is a room tomorrow Rose...but...there is only one bed. It's the last room in the place," he added softly.  
  
Rose just shrugged as she broke into a smile. "That's fine Jack. I don't care." She laughed just then. "Just don't tell my Mother though. I'd be in deep shit."  
  
Jack chuckled and then put the phone back up his ear. "All right sir, we'll take that room. Yeah, through next Saturday please. Ah huh, reservations under 'Jack Dawson.' Yeah..." Rose looked at Jack, trying to catch his eye. But instead she saw him trying not to laugh. His eyes were shining and he was sucking his lips in.  
  
"Oh wait...Ah...that's right, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Dawson," he looked at Rose and winked. She started laughing so hard after that that she almost had to leave the room. Jack went on, "Yes, Jack and Rose Dawson. Yeah, we'll be there tomorrow. Probably early afternoon. What time is check-in? Eleven? All right. Thank you sir. Good-bye." Jack hung up and then started laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Rose asked, giggling.  
  
Jack tired to stop laughing long enough to answer her. "He asked if the reservations would be under Mr. and Mrs. now since I had one bed." Jack laughed again. "So I just went with it."  
  
Rose grinned and waltzed over to Jack. "You can pretend we are just married and carry me over the threshold!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, she jumped into the very surprised Jack's arms. He caught her, luckily, before she felt to the ground and held her much as if he WAS indeed carrying her over the threshold.  
  
Rose wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and smiled at him.  
  
Jack smiled back and then kissed her on the nose. "I like having you in my arms like this," he commented.  
  
Rose laughed. "And why is that?" she asked softly.  
  
Jack tried to shrug, but Rose made the task difficult. "Ah, I am not sure," he said. "I just do."  
  
Rose grinned, kissing him on the cheek and then the mouth. After a moment, Jack set her down, keeping her close to his side afterward. "Where did Monica go?" he asked, looking around for his aunt.  
  
"I'm right here, Jack." Monica suddenly appeared from the hallway. "I was just putting away some things."  
  
Jack and Rose glanced at each other, their eyes asking the same thing. Had she just heard what they were talking about?  
  
After a minute or two, Monica hadn't said anything, so they assumed the coast was clear. She sat down at the table and then motioned for Jack and Rose to do the same.  
  
"Okay, guys, here is the deal. The younger three went with Steven to the store, without telling me," Monica laughed. "I can only imagine what is going on. And ah, Mary is upstairs on the phone. She'll be off in a few minutes and then I can introduce you to her, Rose. Now, I was thinking, for dinner, we could all go out. Red Robin okay for you?"  
  
Jack and Rose both nodded, making Monica laugh again. "You guys crack me up. Anyway, okay, that is what we'll do. And then, I was thinking, we could go to the drive in movie's later--"  
  
"Awesome!" Rose exclaimed without meaning to. She had never been to a drive in movie before. She had always wanted to, but there wasn't one in Spokane so she never got the chance. Rose turned bright red and mumbled sorry.  
  
Jack and Monica stared laughing this time, making Rose blush more. "Its all right Rose, you don't have to apologize. So I take it you want to do that?" Monica finally said.  
  
Rose just nodded and Jack stared laughing at her again.  
  
Monica rolled her eyes. "All right. Now, is there anything else you both would like to do?"  
  
Jack spoke up after recovering from his little laughing outburst. "Actually, I would like to show Rose around town. Do you mind if we take off and meet you guys for dinner?"  
  
Monica shook her head. "No problem. How's about six at Red Robin? Or wait, five thirty would be better. It may be packed tonight."  
  
Jack nodded. "That sounds good," he agreed. He looked at Rose. "How about we go change and then head out?" he asked her.  
  
Rose nodded. "That's fine Jack," she said softly, still embarrassed by her actions before.  
  
"All right," Jack whispered. They stood up together and said goodbye to Monica before walking back downstairs. Rose slammed the door once they were inside the room.  
  
"Are you okay?" Jack asked timidly.  
  
She sighed and looked at him, tears filling her eyes. "Your aunt probably thinks I am...oh I don't know..." she whispered. "I just shouted out like that. And she probably heard us talking about the one bed thing. And she probably thinks I am a slut."  
  
Jack pulled her closer to him. "Hey," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers, "this isn't 1880, okay? You did nothing wrong. Mon loves you, I know. I can see it. You can tell when she doesn't like someone. She likes you Rose. She doesn't think you're a slut or anything. Okay?"  
  
Rose nodded and blinked back tears.  
  
"Okay?" Jack softly asked again.  
  
"Okay," Rose reassured him. "I believe you Jack."  
  
Jack nodded and then gently kissed her. "Now come on. Let's go start our vacation."  
  
Rose tried to smile and kissed Jack back. "Okay," she repeated. "Lets go Jack."  
  
*****  
  
Rose came out of the bathroom and softly closed the door behind herself. Crossing the hall, she pushed open the door to the bedroom where she and Jack were sleeping that night.  
  
The lights were off, and Rose could make out Jack's form lying in the bed closest to the door. She quietly crept over to her own bed and pulled back the covers, quickly getting in and snuggling under blankets.  
  
Rose rested her hands on her stomach and sighed, thinking about the day. Jack had shown her all over Yakima. The beautiful landscape, unique characteristics, and many other things that Rose had not expected. He also showed her the ghettos and the less reputable parts of the town. They had met up with Jack's family later and she had been introduced to his cousins. She found the oldest one, Mary, to be the picture of a typical teenager these days: blond, tall, skinny, and obsessed with boys. Rose noticed that the girl was flirting with the waiter thought all of dinner, much to the embarrassment of everyone else. Kyle was a normal little-league loving eleven-year-old. He and his father, who proved to be quite nice, talked about baseball the whole time. Joey was cute, Rose decided. He was missing a few teeth and just made you want to smile when you looked at him. And Gwen was obviously the entertainer of the children. She was making jokes and talking the whole time. Everything was mostly directed toward Rose, but she didn't mind. The dinner was fun. And the movie had been too. They had gone to a kid movie, but Rose didn't care. The drive in had been everything she expected and looked like something out of Grease. She and Jack had parked the car backward toward the screen, opened up the back, climbed in, and cuddled throughout the whole thing. She sighed at the memory...the whole evening that been perfect.  
  
Rose closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She attempted to clear her mind so that she could get to sleep at a reasonable time. If not, she was going to be very PMS-like the next day, and Jack didn't deserve that this week. He had had to put up with it last week.  
  
She had almost drifted off when she heard a noise. Deciding it was nothing; Rose let her body once again start to sleep. Then all of the sudden, Rose felt something on the bed and climb on top of her. She opened her eyes quickly and let out a little scream. A hand quickly covered up her mouth.  
  
"Shh," Jack's voice came softy, "its just me."  
  
"Jesus...Jack you almost gave me a heart attack!" Rose whispered harshly. She could make out his face in the dark now, leaning over her own. He was grinning.  
  
"Sorry," Jack whispered. He kissed her forehead. "I missed you."  
  
Rose giggled. "I was a whole three feet away," she whispered back. Changing the subject she asked, "Weren't you asleep?"  
  
Jack shook his head. "Nah, without saying goodnight to you, how could I."  
  
"You planned this whole thing?"  
  
"Yes. Sorry if I scared you."  
  
"Its all right," Rose whispered. She brought his head down with her hand and softly kissed him. "What are you doing anyway?"  
  
"I missed you," he repeated. "I haven't been farther away then two feet from you all day. Well, except for when you used the bathroom those few times. It was a big change."  
  
Rose laughed quietly and started running her fingers through Jack's hair. "What are we going to do when we get back home?"  
  
Jack shrugged and reached down to take one of her hands. "I dunno, I guess we'll decide when we get there." He softly started kissing each of her fingers, making Rose smile.  
  
"I love you," she whispered after a minute. "I can't believe I haven't known you my whole life. I love you so much Jack Dawson."  
  
Jack stopped kissing her hand and looking into her eyes. "I'll love you forever Rose. Always."  
  
And with that he leaned down to kiss her on the mouth again. Rose responded warmly, caressing his back with her free hand as she did so. After a minute, they pulled away from each other and just smiled.  
  
"I want you to stay here all night," Rose finally whispered.  
  
"Can I hold you all night?" Jack asked, still smiling at her.  
  
Rose nodded and grinned up at him. "Yeah, yeah Jack you can. But one thing..."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You can't stay on top of me all night," Rose laughed. "You are going to have to lay on the side."  
  
"Fair enough," Jack agreed. He moved off of her and Rose scooted over to make more room. When they were finally situated, Jack put his arms around Rose and she rested her head under his chin.  
  
"What happens if your aunt or uncle walks in?" Rose wondered as she started to close her eyes.  
  
Jack kissed the top of her head. "We'll deal with it if it happens," was all that he said.  
  
Rose smiled and sighed happily. "I love you Jack. See you in the morning."  
  
"Love you too. Goodnight Rose..." 


	9. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten  
  
Rose's Diary  
  
Seattle, Washington  
  
August 2000  
  
My Dear Diary--  
  
I am so, so, happy I remembered to pack you along! I thought I had forgotten, but I was looking for a shirt and I found you! LOL. Wow. Oh my gosh, the past few days have been so awesome. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, and wow. It's Tuesday and the days before just seem like a blur. Let's see...Jack and I got into Seattle on Sunday, at about noon. We got our hotel room (he he...you know, the one with the one bed...the one where they think we are married) and "moved in." Its been nice, just us around for once. Yeah, I know that you are dying to know one thing. Have you and Jack "done it" yet!?!?! LOL. Hmm, well, no. We have been sleeping in the same bed. And we have been "snuggling" while we sleep. But we haven't done anything yet. It's been hard, though. And I don't think just for me. I think its been hard for Jack, too. I mean, there have been a few times when I have almost started something, and the same goes for Jack. Sigh. We were asking for trouble when we got the one bed, I think. Oh well, whatever happens, happens. Right?  
  
I always thought I would be a virgin until I got married. But dear Lord, Diary, that imagine is fading quickly. I want to make love to Jack. I want him to love me back as well. Gosh, this is so hard. I know about the consequences; I've had then drilled into my head since I was in the sixth grade. That's what happens when you go to a Catholic School. But Jack is just so wonderful, diary. I can't imagine being with anyone but him anymore. I can't see myself making love to anyone but him. Every time I dream, he is there. He is always in my head. I just, wow, I think I may be a little obsessed with him. Ugh. I am just rambling on now. Hmm. Lets see. What have we done? Well, all yesterday and this morning we toured the campus. Jack arranged for a private tour and we got someone to take us around on a little golf-cart type thing. LOL. I felt kind of stupid, but it was still so much fun. The campus is wonderful; so beautiful, diary. I know Jack and I are going to love it there. This afternoon we went and walked around downtown Seattle, you know, Pike Place Market and all that. I'd been there a few times before, but being there with Jack was something new. He made everyone so much more fun and exciting. He he. We saw the men throwing fish! That was so awesome. One time they threw it right over our heads. LOL. We are going back tomorrow just to see them do that again, only this time we are bringing the video camera (which we have been using a lot lately! LOL, we are going to come back with like fifty tapes). On the way back to the hotel (it was late, by the way, since we stopped for dinner) we found this dance club and stopped in there. We only stayed an hour, but it was kind of fun being in a place like that. Hmm, Jack is in the shower now. He claimed he smelled like fish and I laughed at that. We are going to watch a movie and then head to bed once he comes out. Happy Sigh. I think I am heading toward heaven Diary. I'm floating on air...la la la la. LOL Okay, Rose...calm down. I'm am going to put this away now. Night!  
  
The next day, Wednesday...  
  
Diary--  
  
He he he. I have had the most awesome day of all! Oh, my goodness. Let's see, it started out by Jack waking me up with breakfast in bed. I had never had anyone do that for me, and my gosh it was wonderful. He brought up cinnamon rolls from a little bakery close to our hotel and along with that were fresh mocha's. He hopped back into bed next to be and we ate together, just looking out the window at the Seattle skyline. It was so nice. I think I was on a happiness high all day just because of that. Anyway, after all that lovely stuff we showered and got dressed and then set out for our first full day in downtown Seattle. The first thing we did was walk down to the monorail boarding area and jumped on that, where we rode it to the Pacific Science Center. Once we were inside the huge center area, we went through every one of the exhibits, one by one. LOL. They have this sort of greenhouse area that has just about every sort of butterfly you could imagine fluttering around inside of it. One landed on the tip of my nose and Jack got a picture before it flew off. My favorite though, was inside where they had all these experimental things and fun little things that seemed like games. There was even a set of table and chairs that was at least twenty, maybe thirty feet tall! Jack and I climbed up with the video camera and filmed from the very top. He he. It was so much fun. They even had this room where you would stand against this green wall and this flash would go off. Then you would move away and a shadow picture of your form would be on the wall. It only lasted a few moments after you stepped away, but it was still awesome. After the Science Center, we got in line for the Space Needle, which is close to the center. We rode to the top and ate lunch in the little restaurant they have up there. I never did like high places, but being up there with Jack made me feel safe and I completely forgot about being afraid.  
  
We also went back to the Market and watched the men throw fish again. LOL. There were so many people around watching with us. They just kept wrapping this fresh fish up and throwing it to the next person who would either put this sticker type thing on or would put it in a crate. I was hoping they would be filming a commercial for their company, as they sometimes do, and that Jack and I could be in it. But they weren't. It was still fun to be down there though. And we went through the rest of the Market as well. It was so crowded! And there are so many shops! Goodness, we couldn't go into all of them in one day. Even if we tried, it would be really hard. There were so many smells too! Fish and other sorts of food, candles, animals (from the trading things they had going on with chickens and ducks), fresh wood, salt water, even smells from a bakery. It was so crazy. Oh, but so much fun. I had a blast.  
  
After all that, we spend the rest of the afternoon shopping LOL. I must have dragged Jack into ten dozen different stores, but I don't think he minded. He was smiling and laughing the whole time. We both had a lot of fun. I got a couple of cute things for Mollie and I managed to get a rare CD that Liza has been wanting. I still haven't found the perfect thing for Sara yet. She's hard to buy for, LOL.  
  
It hasn't rained yet. The whole time we have been here it's been sunny and quite warm. And I probably just jinxed the weather, but who cares? I've got Jack by my side, and nothing else matters to me right now. And I do literally mean right by my side, he he. He is lying next to me in bed, his head leaning against my waist, and he is clicking the remote for the TV every few moments. Oh, now he just looked over and started teasing me about always writing in this thing. LOL. I do love him. Jack says he is getting tired, so I had better go. I love sleeping in his arms and falling asleep with him. Happy sigh. Did I mention that I love Jack? He he. All right, okay, I'm going. Good night. 


	10. Chapter Eleven

THEN YOU LOOK AT ME  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Rose was sitting at a small, two-person table outside a sidewalk cafe overlooking the water in downtown Seattle. She watched as people strolled by, on their way to some shop or event. Rose smiled as she saw a mother with her children, all of them smiling and looking happy as they ate their ice cream cones from a nearby store.  
  
Jack sat too, not watching the passers-by but studying his beautiful girlfriend. She smiled a few times at different groups of people and then she laughed as a little boy walked by with his father, both of them singing the John Jacob Jingleheimer song. His attention was only taken away when their waiter appeared, bringing the check and final things to their table.  
  
Rose turned toward Jack and smiled at him softly after a few moments. He was getting the check from the waiter, and before she could say anything, he said he was going to pay for the whole thing. Rose grinned this time and started looking around more. Behind her in the distance were the high rising skyscrapers, various shops, and things like the space needle and Pacific Science Center. She continued her scan of the skyline until something off to her left caught her eye. It looked like the top of the ship. Rose peered closer and realized that it was a ferry. And when she looked closely she could see that there were people on board. They must be loading! she thought excitedly.  
  
Jack had talked a few times about taking a ferry ride somewhere. He had only been on one once before and that had been when he was young. He wanted to go again. And Rose was addicted to boats of any sort, so she was all up for it.  
  
"Jack?" she asked suddenly, making him glance her way.  
  
"What?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Rose grinned and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. But look over there," she said pointing toward the ferry. "The ferry is loading! We should go. It would be so much fun, Jack."  
  
He smiled back and her and looked thoughtful. "You really want to go?" he asked, teasingly, after a minute.  
  
Rose nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, Jack."  
  
"All right! We can go!"  
  
Rose let out a little scream and jumped up, running over and throwing her arms around him she exclaimed, "Oh, thank you!"  
  
Jack started laughing at her excitement, but he couldn't help feeling the same way. Stopping a different waiter than before, he asked if the man knew when the ferry usually left.  
  
The old man scratched his head while Rose and Jack watched on anxiously.  
  
"Well," the waiter mused, "it's the summer season. And let's see...it's about twelve." He thought for a moment and then turned toward the couple.  
  
"I would say you have about five minutes," he finally concluded.  
  
Jack jumped up and threw the money for the check on the table. "Thank you!" he called to the waiter as he grabbed Rose's hand and they started running.  
  
Quickly they dodged through the crowds of people, laughing and screaming all the while. They were being stared at, but they didn't care.  
  
Once they reached the dock, they quickly bought their tickets and then ran through the portal. Before they knew it, they stood on the deck of the ferry, with just a minute to spare, exhausted and breathing heavily.  
  
But, without skipping a beat, Rose made Jack run toward the bow. "This is the best place to be when it starts," she explained once they got there.  
  
Jack leaned against the rail and managed to catch his breath, while Rose did the same thing. And then all at once he started laughing.  
  
Rose grinned at the sight of him. "What's so funny?" she asked.  
  
Jack looked up at her and shook his head. "We didn't even ask where this was going!" he got out before starting to laugh again.  
  
Rose laughed along with him as she pulled out her ticket. "Bainbridge Island," she concluded after a minute. "Good thing it wasn't the San Juan's or something." Rose giggled. "That's like a three hour trip."  
  
"That's what Gilligan thought!" Jack exclaimed, starting to laugh again.  
  
Rose reached over and gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Jack," she sighed happily as she watched him recover from the laughter.  
  
Then, without any warning, the loud engines of the ship started up and after a minute, the ship lurched forward.  
  
"Yahoo!" Rose screamed, not caring who was around to see her. Jack picked her up by the waist and started spinning her around, making Rose laugh as she threw up her arms. She repeated his name over and over, trying to make herself really believe this was all happening. Finally, Jack put her down and pulled her close.  
  
"There is nowhere else I would rather be, than here with you," he whispered to her. "And I mean that, Rose."  
  
Rose looked at him lovingly. "I don't want to be anywhere else either, Jack. I'm happy just being with you."  
  
Jack smiled softly and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "Come on," he whispered after a moment. "Let's get away from these people. They're still looking at us."  
  
Giggling, they made their way do a different part of the ferry. Their happiness was apparent in so many ways as they passed by people who couldn't stop and look at the young couple, obviously in love.  
  
*****  
  
Some time later, on a remote beach of Bainbridge Island, Jack lay with Rose resting against his shoulder. They had been there for about twenty minutes, but before that had been a mad trip through the little town, trying to take everything in. That had been fun, but Jack was more content here with Rose in his arms. The only thing that could be heard was the lapping of the water against the beach and the occasional, far off sound of a car or person yelling.  
  
Rose sighed softly a moment later and Jack turned his head toward hers. He quickly noticed the tear running down her cheek, although she tried to wipe it away.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked, immediately worried.  
  
Rose closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, Jack," she whispered, opening her eyes back up. "I just can't believe it."  
  
Jack pushed himself up on his side and looked down at her. "What?" he asked gently.  
  
"I can't believe I found you," she said softly, wiping another tear from her face. Rose looked up at him and tried to smile. "Jack, you won't believe how much I wanted you. Even when I was younger, I felt something was missing. I was never really happy. I used to pray to God, asking him to send me someone to love. And I prayed he would love me back. I wanted it so bad that I could taste it, Jack. I was beginning to give up. And I know that is silly. You're only eighteen, I tried to tell myself. You have years. But Jack, I couldn't stand it. I wanted to find him, the man that was meant for me. I've always believed in things like soulmates and all that." She stopped and paused for a moment. "I always believed, above all, in love. Love was something I worshipped and lived for. And I just couldn't believe I hadn't found that person yet." She stopped again and wiped yet another tear from her eye. "And now, Jack, I found you. And I am so scared that something is going to happen. I don't want to leave you. I don't want to be apart from you. I don't now how I am going to live when we get back to Spokane. I just...I just love you..." She trailed off then, still looking at Jack.  
  
Everything was quiet as Rose thought about what she was going to say next. It was something she had been thinking about all day, for weeks even. But today, just this moment, she had finally made her decision. "Jack..." She waited until she had his attention. "I want to wait." This was it. What he said next would tell her if he really loved her or not. This was the ultimate test.  
  
*****  
  
Jack was quiet for a moment as he lay there thinking about what Rose had just said. He felt the same way. She was the other piece of his heart. The girl he had always dreamed about, the one he was willing to do anything for. But he didn't know how to say it. He never was good with words. The stage was the only place where he could express emotion of that kind, and that was because the lines were there for him. Whatever he would say would come out sounding maudlin and ridiculous. Nothing like the beautiful words Rose had just spoken to him. And he wanted to wait, too. He loved her too much risk anything. He wanted them to have something to look forward to.  
  
And so, coming up blank and tongue tied, he did the only thing that came to mind. Jack leaned down and passionately kissed Rose, letting her know, in his own way, that he felt the same and would wait for her. And after he finished, he pulled away just slightly and softly teased her, "You should be a writer."  
  
Fresh tears formed in her blue eyes. Jack loved her! He really, truly loved her. He respected her and wanted her to be his one and only. She could tell by the way he would wait for her. It was the ultimate love.  
  
"You don't know how much this means to me," she said softly.  
  
Jack smiled and stroked her cheek lovingly. "It means a lot to me, too, Rosie." He took a deep calming breath and looked out across the water. "I don't want to be like everyone else. I want us to be different. I want us to have real love." He stopped again at looked back at her. "I don't just want something physical, Rose. I want us to have..."  
  
"True love," Rose interjected. Jack nodded back at her.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed, jumping up suddenly and pulling Rose up with him. "True love!" he repeated, throwing his arms up and shouting. "Romeo and Juliet type true love!"  
  
Rose broke down laughing, so hard in fact that even more tears formed in her eyes. She happily danced around with Jack. He picked her up and spun her around, while she laughed and screamed as she was whisked through the air.  
  
Both terribly dizzy, they stopped spinning after a minute and leaned against each other, still laughing. "No one is ever going to believe us when we tell them what we decided," Rose knowingly said through her giggles.  
  
Jack shook his head happily and grinned. "Nope," he agreed. "They won't. But who the hell cares."  
  
Rose grinned and threw her arms around Jack's neck. "I love you," she declared.  
  
"I love you, too," Jack whispered back before leaning down to kiss her. 


	11. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve  
  
Jack and Rose returned to Spokane the following Saturday. Everyone noticed a change in the way they acted. Ruth noticed that they were more like an old married couple, rather then boyfriend and girlfriend. They couldn't make each other upset or mad. They were always happiest around each other. Even their friends noticed the change in attitude. And they were always together! One hardly went somewhere without the other following along. And a few people had even mistaken them for newlyweds, like at the store when a cashier said to Jack, "My, Mr. Dawson, your wife sure looks happy."  
  
But, they had been back only a week when something happened that would change everything.  
  
Rose was sitting at home early Saturday evening, trying to decide what do to. She and Jack were talking about either going to the movies and dancing, or just taking a drive north of town. Both seemed like fun, and Rose couldn't make up her mind.  
  
She was just about to set her hand on the phone to call Jack, when the doorbell rang, echoing through the quiet house.  
  
"I've got it!" Ruth called coming from upstairs and running past Rose into the front hall.  
  
Rose curiously followed her mother and watched as she opened the front door.  
  
Two men she had never seen before stood on her front step. One was tall and had curly blond hair, his eyes shielded from the sun with big sunglasses, and a briefcase in his hands. The other man was a little shorter, with shaggy brown hair. He, too, wore sunglasses and instead of a briefcase, he carried a clipboard. A rather expense looking limo was behind them, making both Rose and Ruth wonder what and who these men were.  
  
"Can I help you?" Ruth asked cautiously.  
  
The taller man took off his sunglasses and set them in his pocket. Introducing himself, he stuck out his hand. "Hello, ma'am. My name is Brock Lovett, and my partner over here is Robert Buell. We are with the Hollywood Casting Agency of California and New York...HCACN for short. I am looking for a Rose DeWitt-Bukater. Is she available?"  
  
Rose stepped up from the shadows and pushed in front of her mother. "I am she," she answered. "What do you want?"  
  
The other man, Mr. Buell, took off his glasses and looked at Rose. "Miss DeWitt-Bukater, we have a proposition, that, if you choose to accept it, could mean some very big things for you." He paused and smiled at the two women. "Might we come in for a few moments?"  
  
Ruth and Rose nodded in unison and stepped aside. The men were brought in and led into the living room, where they took seats on the couch. Rose sat in a nearby armchair and Ruth stood leaning against the wall.  
  
There was an awkward silence. Rose didn't know what do say, Ruth was confused, and the men were both feeling a little uncomfortable.  
  
Finally Rose hinted at them by saying, "Well, what did you want?"  
  
Mr. Lovett cleared his throat. "Miss DeWitt-Bukater--may I call you Rose?"  
  
Rose nodded. "Yes, you may."  
  
"All right, Rose...have you ever heard of the Warehouse Organization of New York?"  
  
Rose shook her head. "No, sir, I have not. Should I have?"  
  
"Well, Rose, believe it or not, The Warehouse Theater, the very one you have here in Spokane, has companies all over the country. The biggest theater being in New York City. Back there they run shows, basically the same fashion as the Broadway Shows run--year after year until they either aren't making money, or the show just gets boring. Rose," Mr. Lovett took a deep breath and the continued, "we want you to sign a contract with us."  
  
Rose's eyes dilated open until she was positive they couldn't open anymore. "Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
Mr. Lovett smiled. "We saw your performance a couple of weeks ago. And I must say, it was very, very impressive, young lady." He stopped, which made Rose even more anxious, and pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase. Mr. Buell just sat there, smiling annoyingly at Rose and Ruth. Rose shot him a look and then he stopped.  
  
Mr. Lovett handed Rose the papers and then started talking again while she started to look them over. "Mr. Buell and I have been all over this country for the past couple of months, looking at tons of eligible young actresses. But you, Rose, outshone them all. You were the best we saw. And well, we want you to be our Juliet, Rose. We are starting a, at least, six year run of Romeo and Juliet. Back in New York, of course, not here. But, anyway, you would be our main Juliet. That means four to five shows a week and an average pay of eight thousand dollars a show."  
  
Rose's mouth dropped open. "What? Eight thousand dollars! For a show! That's crazy."  
  
Mr. Lovett shrugged. "Yes, it is a lot. But, you would be our main gal, Rose. Not everyone would get paid that, believe me. Only our Juliet and Romeo get that much. The rest of the cast gets about that much a month. But, those people have two to three understudies each, so they aren't at each show."  
  
"Would I have an understudy?"  
  
Mr. Lovett grinned and then started to laugh a little bit. "Oh, yes, my dear. An understudy, a private dressing room, personal assistant, apartment, oh, and a private airplane," he explained as if it were no big deal.  
  
Rose's mouth dropped even lower then it did when she heard about the salary. "You're kidding!" she exclaimed in amazement. "That's crazy. You have to be joking."  
  
Mr. Buell finally spoke up again. "We're not joking, Rose. It's all there on the papers."  
  
Rose glanced down anxiously at the stack of forms she held in her hands. Skimming it, she did indeed find the things that these men were talking about. It was all there.  
  
"Would she be bound by a contract?" Ruth asked, finally speaking up.  
  
"No, that's the, well, good or bad, part, depending on how you look at it," Mr. Lovett answered. "We are bound by those papers to keep her for the first six years. After that, we would have to sign more papers. But, if she chooses, she may leave at any time, so long as she gives us a week's notice."  
  
The rest of the world simply disappeared as Rose absorbed this news. It was almost too much at one time. Everything they had just said was swimming around in her mind, and she was confused. It was almost presumptuous to even consider taking the job; all those things she would get getting. And just for acting in a play? It didn't seem right, by any means. Sighing heavily, she attempted to sort everything out as best she could so that she could answer the anxious men.  
  
"How many weeks a year would we have off?" she asked after another minute.  
  
The men looked confused at her question all of sudden. "We?" they asked in unison.  
  
"Jack and I...how much time would we have off?"  
  
Mr. Lovett and Mr. Buell exchanged nervous glances with each other and Rose's heart immediately skipped a few beats.  
  
"Jack's not coming?" she asked in a harsh whisper.  
  
"Shit," Mr. Lovett whispered under his breath. "Kathy said there may be a problem with this."  
  
"Rose, ah, the thing is, we...already have our Romeo," Mr. Buell nicely tried to explain the best way he could. "And, that person is not Mr. Dawson. I'm sorry, Rose," he added when he saw her face turn white and her eyes widen. "But we already had picked someone--a nice boy from Massachusetts. I think you'd like him. Mr. Dawson doesn't know anything about this."  
  
For some reason the phrase, "It's like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body, you can't breathe, can't think..." popped into Rose's head. Forgetting where she had even heard it, she gasped, knowing that was just how she felt.  
  
"Jack's not coming," she whispered to herself and then her mind went blank.  
  
"Rose..." Ruth's hand was suddenly around her shoulders.  
  
Rose jumped up at her mother's touch and turned toward the men. "Thank you for coming," she said weakly. "But ah, I need to...think about it. Um, leave the papers here, okay?" And then, without another word, she turned and left the room. She ran upstairs, picked up the phone, and, with trembling fingers, dialed his phone number.  
  
She waited impatiently until someone on the other line picked up the receiver and said, "Hello?"  
  
"Jack, I need to talk to you..."  
  
*****  
  
"You know you have to go."  
  
Rose sighed and closed her eyes. "I just don't know, Jack," she mumbled as she moved into his welcoming arms. "I don't know about it."  
  
Just outside of Spokane, they were carefully laying on the roof of Jack's car, watching the night sky above them. The air was hot and dry--it was August, after all--and the sounds of crickets and other little critters could be heard in the distance. But the radio from inside the car provided most of the noise as it played song after song.  
  
Jack buried his face in her soft red hair and breathed in the smell of her shampoo. He didn't want her to go, he didn't. But this was a great opportunity for Rose. She couldn't let it pass her by.  
  
"What am I going to do without you?" he asked out loud without meaning to.  
  
Rose picked her head up and looked at him, tears running down her cheeks. "I can't leave you," she whispered. "It's not supposed to happen like this. What about all our plans and the things we talked about this summer? What about college? What about us, Jack?"  
  
Jack reached up and traced her jaw line with his finger. "I guess," he finally said, "that we will just wait for each other."  
  
"For six years?"  
  
Unable to speak, Jack just nodded. He knew that if he spoke the words, he would break down.  
  
Rose could see the pain in his eyes, so she simply nodded and then she bent down to kiss him. And by the time that ended, both had tears running down their cheeks. Rose was about to try to say something, when a new song came over the radio, putting to words things that they were both feeling.  
  
Another turning point a fork stuck in the road  
  
Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go  
  
So make the best of this test and don't ask why  
  
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.  
  
"Jack?" Rose gulped, fighting back even more tears.  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end is right  
  
I hope you had the time of your life.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
So take the photographs and still frames in your mind  
  
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.  
  
"I love you," Rose whispered into the darkness. "I'll always love you."  
  
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial  
  
For what it's worth it was worth all the while.  
  
Jack let out a shaky breath and pulled Rose as close as he could. "I love you, too, my Rose." He paused for a moment and then took a chain necklace off from around his neck. Slipping a ring off of it, he quietly took Rose's hand and placed the ring on her left hand.  
  
"What's this, Jack?" Rose asked, her eyes wide as diamonds.  
  
"A promise ring," Jack whispered. "It was my mother's. My father gave it to her when they were in high school. I want you to have it."  
  
Rose looked at Jack with new fresh tears as she waited breathlessly for him to speak again.  
  
"Promise me now, Rose. Promise me that, no matter what, we will be together always. At the end of those six years, we'll come together again and get married. And than we'll go on, live forever with each other. Promise me now, Rose. And never let go of that promise."  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end is right  
  
I hope you had the time of your life.  
  
"I promise, Jack."  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end is right  
  
I hope you had the time of your life.  
  
"Never let go."  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end is right.  
  
"I'll never let go Jack, I'll never let go..."  
  
I hope you had the time of your life...  
  
Lyrics are copyright of the band Green Day, and the song, Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), can be found on their CD Nimrod from 1997. 


	12. Chapter Thirteen

THEN YOU LOOK AT ME  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
A Week Later  
  
Rose looked deep into Jack's blue eyes and her heart broke into a million pieces all over again. The pain in his eyes was obvious and was certain as the sun.  
  
They were standing in the middle of an airport outside of Spokane. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Every once in a while a soft breeze would float by and someone would say something in the background, but neither Jack nor Rose noticed any of it.  
  
Rose was leaving today for New York. Her new private jet was waiting about fifty yards away. People were loading it with bags and other various things that Rose was taking with her and a few choice people were getting into the plane, ready to accompany her to New York.  
  
Rose glanced mournfully back at the plane and then at Jack again. "I don't have to go," she whispered to him. "I really don't. I could stay here with you."  
  
Jack wiped the fresh tear from her cheek and shook his head. "Rose, we talked about this. You have to go. It's a chance of a lifetime."  
  
"Oh Jack, I know, but I don't care about--"  
  
"Shh," Jack whispered pressing his thumb to her lips. "Rose, you're going."  
  
Rose took a deep breath and then mustered a nod. Trying to avoid further tears, she glanced around and tried to get something else to focus on for a moment. Jokingly she said, "You know, this is like a scene out of Armageddon, or Casablanca, The Bodyguard...something..."  
  
Jack tired to smile. All those endings were in some way sad. He didn't want to think about that. But he nodded for Rose. Anything to make her feel better, he thought gently.  
  
"And I will always love you," he finally whispered, mocking Whitney Houston's song from The Bodyguard.  
  
Rose's eyes filled with more tears and she flung herself against Jack. Lying her head on his shoulder, she savored every last minute with him. This was harder then anything she had ever done; even harder then saying good-bye to her mother earlier that day at home. This was Jack, her soulmate, her best friend in the whole world. How was she ever going to get through this?  
  
Jack was having similar thoughts. He loved Rose so much, it just wasn't right that they were being ripped apart like this. But this was Rose's chance to make it big. She would be famous, and she deserved this chance. The only way he would let her stay was if she totally objected. And so far, she hadn't. She had said she wouldn't go, but he could see the desire in her eyes. Yes, this is what Rose needed.  
  
Too soon, a Mr. Lovett came prancing up and tapped lightly on Rose's shoulder. "Miss DeWitt-Bukater, it's time," was all he said before walking off.  
  
Rose unwrapped herself from Jack's warm and comforting body. "I love you," she whispered softly.  
  
"I love you, too, Rosie," Jack whispered back. "Good-bye--"  
  
Rose laid her finger over Jack's lips and silenced him before he finished speaking. "Don't say it, Jack. Don't say that."  
  
Jack nodded as more tears formed in his already moist eyes. "I won't," he promised softly.  
  
"Miss Rose, really!" came a shout from behind them. "We must get going!"  
  
Rose gave Jack one last kiss and mumbled, "I'll see you...soon," before she turned and ran off.  
  
Jack gave a big sigh and tucked his shaking hands into his pockets. He watched her run towards the plane and then, without looking back, run up the steps and disappear inside. That was it; she was gone.  
  
Rose plopped herself down in one of the comfortable seats and tried to calm her body down. Her hands wouldn't stop trembling and her legs felt like they were going to turn to mush.  
  
Sighing heavily, she glanced out the little window next to her seat. She saw Jack, standing where they had been a couple of minutes ago. Oh how she wanted to be out there. She wanted to be with him.  
  
But isn't this what you've always wanted? a little voice in the back of her head asked.  
  
Yes, Rose thought back.  
  
Isn't this what you've always dreamed of, ever since you, Mollie, and Liza were little and would play all those dress up games?  
  
Yes...  
  
Isn't this what you've always wanted to end up...in New York with people cheering for you?  
  
Isn't this what you've always dreamed of...the fame, the money, the glamour?  
  
Isn't this what you've always secretly lusted for?  
  
Yes.  
  
Yes.  
  
Yes...  
  
Isn't HE what you've always wanted?  
  
Yes...  
  
Rose sat up very straight as her mind suddenly cleared. He was what she'd always wanted. All those things she had said in Seattle had not been a joke; he was what she had been waiting for all her life. He was her other half. "Oh my God," she whispered out loud. She knew what she had to do.  
  
*****  
  
Jack turned around and quickly started walking away. He couldn't bring himself to watch that plane take off, taking Rose with it. He didn't want to see her go.  
  
So, walking towards the parking lot, he tried to get her out of his mind. He didn't want to think of her; it was to painful. He didn't want to think of her.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
Rose's voice! He could hear Rose's voice. But it couldn't be her. She was leaving. Great! Now my mind is playing tricks on me, he thought, deciding to ignore the shouts.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
There it was again! Her voice...it sounded like she was right behind him. "She can't be there, Dawson," he said to himself, this time out loud.  
  
"Jack! Darling, it's me!"  
  
This time Jack had to know. He spun around, scanned the surrounding area, and then gasped. As she got closer, he could see in her eyes that she had changed her mind.  
  
In slow motion Rose ran and then approached Jack slowly. It was like a dream; she was finding it very hard to believe, as was Jack.  
  
"You didn't leave for New York..."  
  
"I couldn't," Rose whispered and then threw herself into Jack's arms. He kissed her over and over again, not caring who might be watching. Crushing her against him, he held her a tight as he possibly could.  
  
"I love you," he whispered after a minute, pulling her away just enough to look at her face. "But are you sure this is what you want, Rose?" He thought to himself about how painful it would be to say good-bye again; and he hoped that she was here to stay.  
  
"I'm sure, Jack," she said, grinning through her fresh tears. "I want to go to college. I want to be a normal person. I want a life; I want to get married and have children. I don't want to be a professional actress...not anymore."  
  
"But Rose--"  
  
"No, Jack, darling, I've made up my mind. I'm not going if you're not going. It's like...you run, I run. You fall, I fall. You burn, I burn," she paused for effect and then said, "you jump, I jump Jack. Forever...that's how it will be. You jump, I jump." She smiled for a moment and then burst out laughing. "You jump, I jump!" she screamed and then Jack started laughing as well.  
  
Excitedly, he picked her up and spun her around and around until they were both dizzy. Giddy, he set her back down on the ground.  
  
"Will you marry me, Rose, for real? I'll get you a proper ring and everything, as soon as we get back to Spokane. But, please Rose, I love you."  
  
Rose gasped and her eyes widened. Her hands flew to her mouth and she felt her heart start to pound.  
  
"Not now, of course...but in a few years, after college," Jack said quickly after he saw Rose's face.  
  
"Oh Jack, of course I will!" she whispered happily. "I want to be yours for the rest of my life...and beyond, Jack."  
  
And as if in a dream once again, Jack slowly bent down to kiss Rose as the rest of the world slowly, but steadily, faded away. 


	13. Epilogue

THEN YOU LOOK AT ME  
  
Epilogue  
  
May 2011  
  
After completing college in May, Jack and Rose were married in August of 2004. The beautiful ceremony took place in an old church in Spokane, followed by a reception at Riverfront Park. They bought a small yet quaint and wonderful house in the middle of town, and lived there for about two years. Jack, having gotten a degree in Art and Art History, got a job teaching various art classes at Gonzaga University. Rose got a degree in drama and started teaching acting classes and directing plays at The Warehouse Theater, the same place where she had met Jack in 2000. And, maintaining their jobs, they moved to a larger house in 2007 after the news that Rose was pregnant. Their twin daughters, Juliet Marie and Josephine Rose Dawson were born in April of 2008, and two years later, their son, Peter Jack Dawson, was born in early 2010. All through these times, Jack and Rose continued to have the same loving mannerisms as they did in the first few months of their relationship.  
  
One Friday afternoon in May, Jack arrived home early, after the early dismissal of all his classes. Finals were coming up, and the entire school was in a state of frenzy, with most people trying to cram a semester's worth of information into their brains in a week. Jack was worn out, and was ready to kick back and relax.  
  
As he opened the front door, he was met with the sounds of the television, stereo system, their dog Lucy's barking, and children's laughter all at once. He shook his head at the welcome and familiar sound and then shut to door. After hanging up his lightweight work jacket, he slipped off his shoes and loosened his tie. Before he could call out to anyone, he felt something collide with his leg.  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
He glanced down, and saw Peter wrapping his arms around his legs. The little boy turned his head up and grinned. At a year and a half, he had just figured out how to run, and was beginning to talk more and more.  
  
Jack smiled back at Peter, and then bent down to give him a hug. Peter wrapped his arms around Jack's neck this time and, as Jack stood back up, he pulled Peter up, too.  
  
"Where is everyone, eh, Pete?" he asked, as he held his son in his arms.  
  
Peter just giggled and buried his head in his father's neck.  
  
Jack chuckled, and then put Peter back down on the floor. "What do you say we go find them, okay, Peter?" he asked, smiling at the boy.  
  
Peter nodded solemnly, and then started running in the direction of the stairs.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Rose was upstairs in their bedroom, organizing the pictures on their fireplace mantle. A wedding picture of herself and Jack went up there first, followed by a picture of them on their honeymoon in Santa Monica, California. Next came a picture of three married couples at one dinner table: Jack and Rose, Mollie and Nick Whittaker, and Liza and Kyle Horth. After that was the picture of the twins when they were a year old, then Peter when he was a year, and last was a family portrait taken just a month ago. Rose smiled at the last photo, thinking of how it would be outdated pretty soon.  
  
"Oh, Rose!" she heard Jack call loudly from the hall way. She turned, and a moment later saw him walk in, carrying the giggling Peter by the back crisscross part of his overalls.  
  
"Jack, you really need to stop carrying him around like that," she remarked as he set Peter down on their bed.  
  
"Eh, it's not hurting him," Jack responded, as he walked over to her. "Hi. How was your day?" he asked, changing the subject.  
  
Rose could hardly contain her smile. "Oh, it was pretty good."  
  
Jack noticed something different about her, all of a sudden. There was a familiar look in her blue eyes. He just couldn't remember when he had seen it before.  
  
"Is something up, Rose?"  
  
Rose just gave him a sly little grin, and then walked over to Peter. "Sweetheart, can you go find Julie and Jo for me, and then bring them up here?"  
  
Peter gave her a look that said, What are you saying to me? So Rose rephrased what she said.  
  
"Hon, go play with Josephine and Juliet for a minute, okay?"  
  
That he picked up on, and nodded. Rose helped him off of the big bed, and then watched as he walked out of the room.  
  
Rose turned back to Jack after Peter was gone, and smiled at him.  
  
"Seriously, Rose, what is going on?" he asked, as she came over and wrapped her arms around his waist.  
  
Rose was just quiet for a minute, as she contemplated the best way to share her news with Jack. Finally, she decided she should just give it up and tell him.  
  
"Ah...Jack, remember how you and I were talking about having another baby, once Peter was a little bit older?"  
  
Jack nodded yes, as a look of confusion crossed his face. "Uh huh..." he mumbled, still looking lost as to what Rose was getting at.  
  
Rose laughed cheerfully. "Jack, we don't have to wait. I'm pregnant."  
  
Jack's deep blue eyes widened in surprise as his month dropped open. "Are you serious?" he asked, not believing his own ears.  
  
Rose nodded excitedly. "Yes," she confirmed. "I went to the doctor today."  
  
"Oh, Rose." Jack sighed softly as he pulled her closer and held her against him. "Oh, Rosie, this is just amazing," he whispered.  
  
Rose nodded against him. "I know," she mumbled. "I'm so excited."  
  
"When is the baby due?"  
  
"Around the middle of January. I am not sure of the exact date yet," Rose answered. She paused for a long moment, and then pulled away from Jack slightly. "We are so blessed, Jack. Fifteen years ago, I would never have imagined this. I never thought things were bad, but then you just looked at me and the world got so much better. And now we have another baby on the way. It's just too good to be true. I love you, Jack. Never forget that," she whispered tenderly.  
  
"I love you, too," Jack whispered back, not knowing what else to say. And with that they kissed deeply, sealing their love that would last forever.  
  
*****  
  
Rachel Christine Dawson was born January 15th, 2012.  
  
The End. 


End file.
